The Diamondbacks take on the Texas Rangers for the second and final game at Globe Life Field, with first pitch at 11:35 A.M. MST. Taking the mound for Arizona today will be right-hander Ryne Nelson. Nelson has been in the rotation all season after earning a spot in Spring Training, but has not been able to get his results to translate in the regular season. With Cristian Mena pitching relatively well with Reno and Tommy Henry lined up on Wednesday, the Diamondbacks have potential options available to replace Nelson in the rotation should he falter against the Rangers.
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The 26-year-old right-hander is coming off a very encouraging appearance against the Dodgers. Coming out of the bullpen as a bulk reliever, he got 15 outs without giving up a run in a 6-0 win. The Diamondbacks are hoping for those results to continue in his next start. If not, they could turn to someone else and send Nelson to Reno and take another chance with Henry or get an evaluation of Mena in the big leagues.
With Eduardo Rodríguez and Merrill Kelly limited to just four starts on the season, the team needed their depth options like Nelson, Henry, Blake Walston, and Slade Cecconi to help fill in the gaps. For that group, they’ve gotten inconsistent results at best. That’s not too surprising considering the experience level of these pitchers, but for more established arms like Henry and Nelson, who have more than 30 career starts under their belts, it’s been disappointing to see them not take the next step.
The Rangers will be sending right-hander Dane Dunning to the mound to start this game. Dunning is 3-3 with a 4.43 ERA and has been one of their more reliable arms in terms of health. Combining for 13 innings in his first two starts of the season, he’s only recorded more than 15 outs in a start once in his next eight. His last start he gave up five runs (three earned) on four hits, one walk, and four strikeouts at Citizens Bank Park. The Diamondbacks’ slumping offense could be what Dunning needs to get untracked after a string of short starts.
