Jordan Montgomery to be Tested by Dodgers Deep Lineup

Montgomery has gotten off to a strong start with the Diamondbacks, but he'll face a much tougher challenge against the Dodgers' star-studded lineup.

Apr 24, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery (52) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The Diamondbacks will take on the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday night. In order for them to have a chance to win, they will need another strong start from left-hander Jordan Montgomery. Montgomery has been excellent his first two starts, allowing just four runs in 13 innings against the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals.

Manager Torey Lovullo praised the work of the veteran left-hander's ability to change speeds and work both sides of the plate.

"I think he's tunneling his pitches really well. He knows how to pitch and he's up there with the game plan. There's a reason for every single pitch that he throws."

Jordan Montgomery has a 2.77 ERA in 2 starts this season. This is what #Dbacks manager had to say about the early success for the veteran left-hander.

Game Preview: https://t.co/7NO21I2l0Z pic.twitter.com/rewrf3V2zg

— Michael McDermott (@MichaelMcDMLB) May 1, 2024

Montgomery's work will be cut out for him tonight, as he faces the Dodgers' star-studded lineup featuring Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman at the top. Betts is the frontrunner for the National League's Most Valuable Player Award, leading the senior circuit with 2.9 Wins Above Replacement according to Baseball Reference.

The Dodgers' lineup (see below) is still tough once you get past those three, with All-Stars Will Smith, Max Muncy, and Teoscar Hernández in the middle third. Even the bottom third of their order gives tough at-bats, something Tommy Henry experienced Monday night in a short start. That allowed the Dodgers to get into the soft underbelly of the D-backs bullpen, leading to a four-run fifth inning that proved to be the difference in the game.

Starting Lineups

Starting Lineups for the Los Angeles Dodgers (19-12) and Arizona Diamondbacks (13-17) on April 30, 2024 at Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona. / Michael McDermott

The Diamondbacks have not faced Landon Knack, who has two career starts in the major leagues. Looking at Knack's Statcast page, the right-hander averages just under 93 MPH with his four-seam fastball and complements it with the full mix of secondary pitches.

In his two starts, he's been hit hard and doesn't generate a lot of chases or swing-and-miss, but looking at the results, Knack has a 3.27 ERA and nine strikeouts in 11 innings. With such a small sample size for his career, there isn't much to evaluate on his skill set. It could either be a night where the batted ball data is more predictive, meaning a strong night for the D-backs offense, or it could be a long night if the results continue.

D-backs Bullpen

After making roster moves, the D-backs will carry nine relievers for the next few days. Right-handed starter Ryne Nelson (right elbow contusion) is expected to come off the 15-day injured list during the upcoming series against the San Diego Padres. The D-backs opted for the extra reliever, with Brandon Hughes added to the roster.

Logan Allen should be the only reliever unavailable, throwing 41 pitches in 3 1/3 innings of long relief. Justin Martinez (6), Scott McGough (19), and Andrew Saalfrank (24) also pitched last night, but shouldn't have any availability concerns for this game.

Left-hander Kyle Nelson will have surgery to address Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. Dr. Gregory Pearl, who performed Merrill Kelly's Thoracic Outlet Surgery in 2020, will perform the surgery