Diamondbacks win spring training finale; open season Thursday at Dodgers
The Arizona Diamondbacks concluded Cactus League play with a 3-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday at Chase Field. They finished the spring with a 16-14 record.
Next up is Opening Day at the Los Angeles Dodgers. The game is set to start at 7:10 p.m. and will be televised on Bally Sports Arizona. The scheduled pitching matchup is RHP Zac Gallen (12-4, 2.54 ERA last season) for the Diamondbacks against LHP Julio Urias (17-7, 2.16 ERA) for the Dodgers.
When is MLB Opening Day? Game schedule, times, what to know for first games, new rules
Diamondbacks 3, Guardians 1
At Chase Field Tuesday
At the plate: It was a quiet day for the Diamondbacks offensively, but top prospect CF Druw Jones made an impression in two at-bats. He hit a 98.4 mph lineout to the warning track and a 98.8 mph line drive single. The ball to the warning track came against James Karinchak, a reliever who had a 2.08 ERA in the major leagues last year. “My first thought was, I can’t believe this kid has not played baseball for almost a year and he did that,” Lovullo said of Jones, who has not yet played a professional game after injuring his shoulder last summer, shortly after he was selected No. 2 overall.
On the mound: RHP Ryne Nelson had a solid start, continuing an upward trajectory throughout spring that earned him the last spot in the Diamondbacks rotation.Nelson allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings, struck out five and didn’t issue a walk. “Felt like I kind of put everything together, everything I’ve been working on,” Nelson said. “Executing pitches.” Nelson got two whiffs on his four-seamer, four on his slider, two on his change-up and one on his curveball. RHP Drey Jameson retired the only batter he faced on three pitches (all sliders) in his first appearance out of the bullpen since losing the rotation battle to Nelson.
In the field: 1B/OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. made a nice leaping grap on a one-hopper in the sixth, securing the ball and stepping on first base for the out. Gurriel is primarily an outfielder but has begun getting reps at first base over the last few weeks to prepare himself to be Christian Walker’s primary backup at the position. His versatility enabled the Diamondbacks to select OF Kyle Lewis over 1B/OF Pavin Smith for their final positional player spot.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks win spring finale; open season Thursday at Dodgers
