Diamondbacks at Rockies Pregame — April 29, 2023
DENVER, Apr. 29 — It is Game Two of a three-game set between the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks and the host Colorado Rockies, which is the second game of a five-game road trip for the Diamondbacks. For the Rockies, it is the second game of a six-game homestand. Left-hander Tommy Henry will start for the Diamondbacks against Rockies right-hander Noah Davis. Prior to the game, Rockies manager Bud Black and Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo each met with media on hand. Here are the highlights of their conferences.
Diamondbacks Manager Torey Lovullo
The Diamondbacks have a game-worn Kevin Durant jersey that they’ve been passing around. Merrill Kelly wore it pregame as Kyle Freeland of the Rockies wore a Nikola Jokić jersey. During the pregame media session, manager Torey Lovullo wore the same jersey. Kelly/Lovullo and Freeland were doing this to support the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), who will face one another in Game One of the Western Conference Semifinals at Ball Arena in Denver. (6:30 MDT/5:30 MST)
Lovullo said he would like to see starter Tommy Henry “get to a spot with his fastball” where he’s comfortable throwing it “any count, any time.” He also wants to see Henry simply compete. In addition, he wants Henry to “do what he does best” and keep the Diamondbacks in the game.
When asked what he expects from Noah Davis, Lovullo said “I don’t know a lot about him” other than what he’s read and watched on video. He added, “(Davis is) gonna compete. He’s gonna have a mixture of pitches. I’m gonna put it on us. When we do the things that we do best, swing at the pitches we’re looking for, lay off some pitches that are strike-to-ball, get into good hitting counts, I think we do good things in this stadium.
Lineup Notes
Ketel Marte is having a standard “Coors Field day off.” Marte has a recent history of hamstring injuries at Coors Field, and the Diamondbacks are trying to manage that in a way that will keep him healthy.
Gurriel is getting the same “Coors Field day off.” Lovullo said, “He was fine yesterday. There was a lot of running for him. He was huffing and puffing around the bases a couple of times.” Lovullo said he knew Gurriel hadn’t played many games at Coors Field (Author’s note: Friday was his fourth Coors game ever), so he wanted to manage Gurriel’s playing time as well.
Injury Updates
Zach Davies is throwing on flat ground at 120 feet. He will begin throwing off the mound at some point next week.
Carson Kelly is still on the schedule of getting x-rays every Monday to monitor the healing progression of his fractured right ulna, the forearm bone lined up with the pinkie. He is not quite to the point of doing baseball activity with his right arm but is doing everything he can do without using said arm. Kelly is catching and doing one-arm drills with the bat. He will begin range of motion exercises with the right arm soon.
Kyle Lewis is “ramping things up a bit more.” He is now hitting in the cage with some soft toss.
Rockies Manager Bud Black
Outfielder Randal Grichuk is healthy and in the lineup. When the Rockies activated him for today’s game, they designated reliever Ty Blach — who closed Friday night’s game — for assignment.
The Rockies, by designating Blach, are down to 12 pitchers on their active roster. Since the team has an off-day Monday, could use a four-man rotation the next time through while keeping guys on their normal rest days. Black said they’ll need to call someone up to pitch Friday or Saturday of next week unless they “start having guys pitch on short rest” multiple times.
The Pitching
Rookie Noah Davis, who has allowed one earned run in 9 2/3 innings across his two starts (0.93 ERA), is making his Coors Field debut tonight. Black was asked what he hopes to see from Davis tonight. He responded, “no matter where you pitch you have to make got you have to make quality pitches, you have to you got to locate the ball. In his case, he’s got to keep the ball down when those pitchers when those pitches require to be down in the strike zone elevate pitches when those certain pitches that need to be elevated. So it’s still pitching. So there’s really no it’s the same indicators on the road or at home. To throw strikes, keep the ball down when needed. Execute pitches in and out if your pitch calls for in or out as opposed to up or down.”
Black, when asked what he expects to see out of Diamondbacks starter Tommy Henry, said, “Tommy! Yeah. Fastball in the low 90s. A sneaky fastball effect. Good changeup, good feel for a change. Has a little bit of a breaking ball. But it’s a fastball-change combo with a little bit of a sneaky fastball.”
Seeing the Game
First pitch is at 6:10 MDT/5:10 Arizona Time. The Diamondbacks broadcast will be on Bally Sports Arizona and ESPN Phoenix 620 AM, while the Rockies broadcast will be on AT&T SportsNet and KOA NewsRadio.
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Main Photo Credits:
DENVER (Apr. 29) — Unidentified players from the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies visit prior to their game against one another at Coors Field. (Photo by Evan Thompson/Sport Relay)
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