The Arizona Diamondbacks (1-3, 1-3 RL, 3-1 O/U) meet with the San Diego Padres (2-2, 2-2 RL, 2-2 O/U) as the division rivals begin a short two-game series on Monday evening. The D-Backs will send Ryne Nelson to the hill. The Padres will give the nod to Ryan Weathers. San Diego went 14-5 against Arizona last season.
The promising young Ryne Nelson starts the opening game of the series. Nelson had limited action at the big league level in 2022 and boy did he shine, conceding only four runs (three earned) in three starts spanning 18.1 innings, equating to a minuscule 1.47 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP, and a 1-1 record. Two of his outings were against this Padres squad. He shut them down, allowing four runs (three earned) in 12 innings. The rookie did not have a good spring, posting a 5.85 ERA in 20 innings.
Christian Walker goes yard for the 1st time this season! pic.twitter.com/BZVPzpMQ2A
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) April 2, 2023
Arizona has many young hitters and some patience is needed. The team added veterans to guide the young hitters including Evan Longoria. The D-Backs had difficulty on the mound in the opening series at Dodger Stadium. They gave up eight runs or more runs twice in the four games and earned two wins in the four meetings including a 2-1 win on Sunday.
Arizona is hoping for a better season from Ketel Marte. The 29-year-old second baseman only had 52 RBIs and a .727 OPS in 137 games in 2022 but has the potential to reach 30 homers and 100 RBIs. Marte struggled against the Padres last year, hitting .197 with three RBIs. He is only 2 for 15 in four games this season.
Arizona scored an average of 4.33 runs per game last year and only seven in the opening four games. They posted a 4.25 ERA last year and have conceded 20 runs this season.
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