Diamondbacks Report: Two of Three from Pirates; Three with Phillies Next

• May 22, 2023

Diamondbacks Report: Two of Three from Pirates, Phillies Next

The Arizona Diamondbacks (27–20), second place in the NL West and 1 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (29–19) after taking two of three from the Pittsburgh Pirates (24–22), conclude their nine-game road trip Monday through Wednesday in Philadelphia. There they will face the reigning NL pennant winners, the Philadelphia Phillies (22–24), in a three-game series. This edition of Diamondbacks Report will briefly review the Pirates series before previewing the key details of the three games with the Phillies.

Diamondbacks – Pirates Series Summary

Game One against the Pirates was a debacle for the Diamondbacks. Zac Gallen had the worst start of his career, surrendering eight runs (five earned) in 3 2/3 innings. This led to a 13–3 blowout victory for the Pirates.

The Diamondbacks rallied from a 3–1 third-inning deficit in Game Two. Pirates starter Mitch Keller had another strong outing, allowing two runs on three hits in six innings, walking none while striking out eight. But a two-run Pavin Smith homer off reliever Robert Stephenson gave the Diamondbacks a 4–3 lead, one they clung to for the rest of the game. Kyle Nelson, Austin Adams, Andrew Chafin, and Miguel Castro combined to pitch 3 2/3 scoreless innings to take the Diamondbacks to the finish line. In the process, they allowed one hit and one walk to shut down any hopes of a Pirates comeback.

The Diamondbacks won the third game, 8–3, to take the series. This was a strange game, one where the Pirates had as many errors (three) as hits and more wild pitches (five) than errors or hits. Christian Walker had two key hits late in the game — a two-run double in the seventh and RBI single in the ninth — to put the game away for the Diamondbacks.

Diamondbacks and Phillies Storylines

The Diamondbacks have gained ground on the Dodgers and have a golden opportunity in front of them. With the Dodgers facing a tough three-game road series against the NL-leading Atlanta Braves, the Diamondbacks have a realistic chance to either gain ground on or even surpass the Dodgers. The overriding concern over the past month has been the performance of the young starting pitchers — in other words, the pitchers not named “Zac Gallen” or “Merrill Kelly.” Two of these three games will be started by one of the young starters.

The Phillies have had a rollercoaster month since ending play on April 20 with an 8–12 record. They won seven of their next eight then promptly lost their next six in a row. After that, they won five straight, lost five straight, and won their next two, putting them where they are now, at 22–24. This puts them fourth in the gauntlet known as the NL East. A series win here is important for the Phillies if they are to keep pace with the New York Mets and Miami Marlins, both of whom are narrowly ahead of them in the NL East standings.

Pitching Matchups between the Diamondbacks and Phillies

Game One — Monday, May 22, 3:40 pm Arizona Time

Game One is a matchup between Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler (3–3, 4.06 ERA, 93 ERA-minus) and Diamondbacks left-hander Tommy Henry (1–1, 5.00 ERA, 114 ERA-minus).

In Wheeler’s nine appearances, all starts with four as a quality start, he has struck out 61, walked 13, and has a 1.196 WHIP across 51 innings. On average, he pitches 5 2/3 innings per start and gets about 4 1/2 runs of support per nine innings from his team while he’s in the game. Opponents are batting .242 against him, nine points lower than the NL average of .251. The following table compares his percentages and his WHIP to the NL average.

In Henry’s five appearances, all starts with two as a quality start, he has struck out 13, walked 12, and has a 1.481 WHIP across 27 innings. On average, he pitches 5 1/3 innings per start and gets about 6 1/2 runs of support per nine innings from his team while he’s in the game. Opponents are batting .275 against him, 24 points higher than the NL average of .251. The following table compares his percentages and his WHIP to the NL average.

Matchups with Current Rosters

Wheeler has faced the Diamondbacks nine times in his career, all starts. He is 5–2 with a 2.95 ERA, striking out 59 and walking 10 with a 1.052 WHIP across 58 innings. Nine Diamondbacks position players on the active roster have faced him. Nick Ahmed is 2-for-12 with a double, two RBI, and four strikeouts. Christian Walker is 6-for-11 with a double, a homer, three RBI, and three strikeouts. Evan Longoria is 2-for-9 with a double and two strikeouts. Ketel Marte is 3-for-8 with a double, a home run, two RBI, a walk, and a strikeout. Josh Rojas is 1-for-7 with two walks and two strikeouts. The other Diamondbacks to have faced him are Lourdes Gurriel Jr., 0-for-4 with a strikeout; Pavin Smith, 0-for-3 with a strikeout; Jose Herrera, 0-for-2 with two strikeouts; and Geraldo Perdomo, 0-for-2 with a strikeout.

Henry has faced the Phillies once, allowing seven runs on eight hits, walking four and striking out four in four innings. Seven Phillies on the active roster have faced him. Alec Bohm is 2-for-3 with an RBI. Kyle Schwarber is 1-for-3 with a strikeout. Bryce Harper is 1-for-2 with an RBI, a walk, and a strikeout. J.T. Realmuto is 1-for-2 with a walk. The other three Phillies to have faced Henry are all 0-for-2 — Josh Harrison, Brandon Marsh, and Edmundo Sosa. Marsh and Sosa each have one strikeout.

Game Two — Tuesday, May 23, 3:40 pm Arizona Time

Right-hander Ryne Nelson (1–2, 5.48 ERA, 125 ERA-minus) will start Game Two for the Diamondbacks, while the Phillies, as of Monday morning Arizona time, have yet to announce a starter.

In Nelson’s nine appearances, all starts with two as a quality start, he has struck out 32, walked 15, and has a 1.478 WHIP across 46 innings. On average, he pitches five innings per start and gets about six runs of support per nine innings from his team while he’s in the game. Opponents are batting .296 against him, 45 points higher than the NL average of .251. The following table compares his percentages and his WHIP to the NL average.

Matchups with Current Rosters

Ryne Nelson has yet to face the Phillies in his major league career. He has, however, faced one member of their current roster — Trea Turner. Turner went 1-for-3 against Nelson with a triple while with the Dodgers on September 12 of last season.

Game Three — Wednesday, May 24, 10:05 am Arizona Time

Game Three matches Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez (0–1, 10.50 ERA, 240 ERA-minus) with Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen (6–2, 2.95 ERA, 67 ERA-minus).

In Suarez’s two appearances, both starts with neither as a quality start, he has struck out eight, walked four, and has a 2.667 WHIP across six innings. Keeping in mind that this is an extremely small sample size, on average, he pitches three innings per start and gets about 7 1/2 runs of support per nine innings from his team while he’s in the game. Opponents are batting .414 against him, 163 points higher than the NL average of .251 — something that absolutely will come back to earth. The following table compares his percentages and his WHIP to the NL average.

In Gallen’s 10 appearances, all starts with six as a quality start, he has struck out 72, walked 12, and has a 1.000 WHIP across 61 innings. On average, he pitches six innings per start and gets about 4 1/2 runs of support per nine innings from his team while he’s in the game. Opponents are batting .216 against him, 35 points lower than the NL average of .251. The following table compares his percentages and his WHIP to the NL average.

Matchups with Current Rosters

Suarez has faced the Diamondbacks seven times in his career, with four as starts. He is 1–3 lifetime with a 5.79 ERA, striking out 20 and walking 15 for a 2.100 WHIP across 23 1/3 innings. Ten Diamondbacks on the active roster have faced him. Ketel Marte is 5-for-12 with an RBI, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch. Christian Walker is 5-for-11 with two doubles, a triple, an RBI, three walks, and two strikeouts. Josh Rojas is 3-for-10 with a walk and three strikeouts. Nick Ahmed is 0-for-6 with two walks and a strikeout. Pavin Smith is 0-for-5. Geraldo Perdomo is 1-for-3 with a walk. Emmanuel Rivera is 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI. Evan Longoria is 0-for-2 with a walk and two strikeouts. Corbin Carroll is 0-for-2, while Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is 0-for-1 with a strikeout.

Gallen has faced the Phillies four times, all as a starter. He has gone 3–1 with a 1.93 ERA, 21 strikeouts, seven walks, three home runs, and a 1.071 WHIP over 18 2/3 innings. Trea Turner is 4-for-15 with a double, a homer, an RBI, two walks, and six strikeouts. Bryce Harper is 3-for-9 with a double, a walk, and two strikeouts. Kyle Schwarber is 1-for-5 with a home run, three RBI, and three strikeouts. Both Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto are 0-for-3, Bohm with a walk and Realmuto with a walk and a strikeout. Bryson Stott is 1-for-3. Garrett Stubbs is 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Finally, both Nick Castellanos and Brandon Marsh are 1-for-2 with a strikeout.

Reliever Comparisons

Phillies

The Phillies have eight relievers currently active. All pitchers are right-handed unless followed by (L). For reference, the NL average save percentage is 64%, and the inherited runners scored percentage is 31%.

Long relief

• Jeff Hoffman — 4 GR, 6 IP, 0 inherited runners (IR)/0 inherited runners scored (IS) (—), 0.667 WHIP, 47.8 K%, 8.7 BB%, 0.0 HR%.

Middle relief

• Andrew Bellatti — 14 GR, 11 2/3 IP, 11 IR/7 IS (64%), 1.714 WHIP, 23.6 K%, 14.6 BB%, 3.6 HR%.
• Andrew Vasquez (L) — 13 GR, 20 1/3 IP, 5 IR/2 IS (40%), 1.082 WHIP, 20.9 K%, 9.3 BB%, 1.2 HR%.
• Connor Brogdon — 21 GR, 24 IP, 12 IR/6 IS (50%), 1.292 WHIP, 19.6 K%, 8.8 BB%, 2.9 HR%.
• Matt Strahm (L) — 5 GR, 33 IP, 4 IR/2 IS (50%), 0.970 WHIP, 36.2 K%, 7.7 BB%, 1.5 HR%.

Set-up

• Gregory Soto (L) — 23 GR, 20 1/3 IP, 10 IR/2 IS (20%), 1.131 WHIP, 28.6 K%, 11.9 BB%, 1.2 HR%, 1/1 SV/OPP (100%).
• Seranthony Dominguez — 22 GR, 19 IP, 4 IR/1 IS (25%), 1.474 WHIP, 22.2 K%, 8.9 BB%, 1.1 HR%, 0/1 SV/OPP (0%).

Closer

• Craig Kimbrel — 19 GR, 17 IP, 1 IR/1 IS (100%), 1.412 WHIP, 40.3 K%, 13.9 BB%, 5.6 HR%, 5/5 SV/OPP (100%).

Scoreless Outings

The Phillies relievers on the active roster have pitched a combined 121 games in relief (GR). Of the 121, 93 have been scoreless — 76.9%, second in the National League, whose active roster average is 72.8% and overall average is 69.2%. Here is the scoreless percentage (ScOtg%) for each reliever on the active roster, as of the end of play on Sunday. Also included is the percentage when only considering earned runs (ER Only).

When only considering earned runs, the Phillies remain second in the NL, although their percentage jumps to 80.2%.

Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks also have eight relievers currently active. All pitchers are right-handed unless followed by (L). Jose Ruiz’s stats are with the Diamondbacks only; they do not include his time with the Chicago White Sox. For reference, the NL average save percentage is 64%, and the inherited runners scored percentage is 31%.

Long relief

• No true long reliever, although Kevin Ginkel and Scott McGough have acted as quasi-long men recently.

Middle relief

• Luis Frias — 4 GR, 4 1/3 IP, 3 IR/0 IS (0%), 2.769 WHIP, 12.5 K%, 20.8 BB%, 4.2 HR%.
• Jose Ruiz — 14 GR, 17 1/3 IP, 2 IR/1 IS (50%), 1.212 WHIP, 25.7 K%, 5.4 BB%, 2.7 HR%.
• Kevin Ginkel — 18 GR, 20 1/3 IP, 8 IR/2 IS (25%), 1.180 WHIP, 20.2 K%, 9.5 BB%, 1.2 HR%.
• Austin Adams — 1 GR, 2/3 IP, 0 IR/0 IS (—), 0.000 WHIP, 0.0 K%, 0.0 BB%, 0.0 HR%.
• Kyle Nelson (L) — 21 GR, 18 IP, 18 IR/6 IS (33%), 1.333 WHIP, 27.3 K%, 6.5 BB%, 2.6 HR%.

Back End

• Scott McGough — 22 GR, 24 IP, 6 IR/0 IS (0%), 1.000 WHIP, 24.7 K%, 9.3 BB%, 5.2 HR%, 1/4 SV/OPP (25%).
• Andrew Chafin (L) — 22 GR, 17 2/3 IP, 13 IR/7 IS (54%), 1.189 WHIP, 35.1 K%, 6.8 BB%, 2.7 HR%, 6/8 SV/OPP.
• Miguel Castro — 22 GR, 20 2/3 IP, 9 IR/3 IS (33%), 0.968 WHIP, 23.5 K%, 8.6 BB%, 1.2 HR%, 4/5 SV/OPP (80%).

Scoreless Outings

The Diamondbacks relievers on the active roster have pitched a combined 124 games in relief (GR). Of the 124, 93 have been scoreless — 75.0%, seventh in the National League, whose active roster average is 72.8% and overall average is 69.2%. Here is the scoreless percentage (ScOtg%) for each reliever on the active roster, as of the end of play on Sunday. Also included is the percentage when only considering earned runs (ER Only).

When only considering earned runs, the Diamondbacks’ ranking jumps to fourth in the NL. The percentage increases as well, rising to 78.2%.

Lineup Comparisons

Here is each team’s typical lineup against right-handed starters. wRAA = Weighted Runs Above Average; DRS = Defensive Runs Saved at the listed position.

Phillies

Diamondbacks

Here is each team’s typical lineup against left-handed starters. Note that the Phillies lineup is the same for lefties as it is for righties, as they do not platoon very often.

Phillies

Diamondbacks

Recent History between the Diamondbacks and Phillies

With the Diamondbacks and Phillies being in different NL divisions, they did not face one another in 2020. They have, however, faced each other each of the other 24 seasons. The Phillies have not captured a season series from the Diamondbacks since 2015, but the teams played to a 3–3 split in 2022. In the other seasons since 2015, the Diamondbacks finished with the following records: 4–3 (‘16), 6–1 (‘17), 4–2 (‘18), 4–2 (‘19), and 4–3 (‘21).

Schedules for the Rest of their Divisions

The only NL East team that will not play an NL West team in the first half of the week is the second-place New York Mets (25–23). After a day off Monday, they will play three games on the road against the Chicago Cubs (20–26), who are fourth in the NL Central. The fifth-place Washington Nationals (20–27) also are off Monday before hosting three against the San Diego Padres (21–26), fourth in the NL West. In Atlanta, the NL East-leading Braves (29–17) have a marquee three-game series against the Dodgers, while the third-place Miami Marlins (24–23) open a four-gamer Monday night in Denver against the Colorado Rockies (19–28), who are fifth in the NL West. The San Francisco Giants (22–24), third in the NL West, open a three-game series Monday night in Minneapolis against the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins (25–22).

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