The D-backs Look to End Their Homestand With a Series Victory on Wednesday

The D-backs are looking to win their third series in a row and get a win before heading out on the road.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are coming off their wildest win of the season. They are looking to win their series against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday afternoon. Game time is at 12:40 PM. The D-backs are seeking to win their third series in a row and end their homestand on a positive note before they embark on a three-city road trip. The D-backs are 9-9 and looking to get above .500 for the first time in over a week while the Cubs are 10-7.

The Diamondbacks made a series of roster moves Wednesday morning. They optioned Tommy Henry and Luis Frías while calling up Justin Martinez and LHP Logan Allen. They transferred Eduardo Rodriguez to the 60-day IL to be able to select Allen's contract. Find out more about the moves and what they mean here.

Starting Pitchers

The D-backs are starting RHP Brandon Pfaadt while the Cubs are countering with soft-tossing left-hander Jordan Wicks. Pfaadt is 1-0 with a 6.48 ERA over three starts and 16.2 innings. He has 17 strikeouts, three walks, and has given up 20 hits and 12 runs. Of course, he's coming off a rough start against the Cardinals when he gave up seven hits and six runs in six innings.

The key today for Pfaadt to find success is shape and location of his sweeper. Torey Lovullo explained the problems with the pitch this year. "the big sweeper that is sweeping from second it leaves his hand is the one that gets tracked and hit. ....I think maybe shortening up, or creating some more late sweep would be the key for me"

If Pfaadt can lock down the sweeper and throw it accurately with late break, he'll find plenty of whiffs and do quite well. Last season, he pitched 11.1 innings against the Cubs and had a 3.18 ERA and gave up four runs and two walks while striking out 10 batters.

Wicks has struggled to prevent runs and to pitch deeper into games this year. He's yet to pitch five full innings. The deepest he's gone is 4.2 innings. On the year, he's 0-2 with a 5.68 ERA over 12.2 innings with 19 strikeouts, eight walks, 16 hits, and eight runs given up.

His last start was rough as he struggled mightily with location issues. He gave up five hits, four runs, four walks, and struck out six in just four innings. At Chase Field last year, Wicks gave up three runs and four hits with four walks and five strikeouts across just 4.1 innings in a game he lost.

Starting Lineups

Lineups for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on April 17, 2024

Jake Oliver

Gabriel Moreno was originally supposed to be back in the lineup two days after suffering a right thumb contusion on a wild pitch. Lovullo said the swelling and soreness had gone down enough for him to be able to grip and swing the bat. However, just before the game, the team scratched him and Tucker Barnhart will start at catcher instead.

The D-backs are sending their offensive lineup against left-handed pitching. The team is giving Blaze Alexander a day, rotating in Kevin Newman at shortstop. The team has Randal Grichuk, the hero from last night's game, in there to face another left-handed pitcher.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Ketel Marte, and Christian Walker will look to stay hot at the plate. Meanwhile, Corbin Carroll is striving to continue to be one of the hardest players to strike out and continue to rack up the stolen bases as he has seven already. Slumping of late to get consistently good quality contact at the plate, Lovullo said he has not yet considered dropping Carroll in the order.

The Cubs are going with a couple of backups along with their everyday players. It's a left-handed heavy lineup with a right-hander on the mound for Arizona. Cody Bellinger, Christopher Morel, and Dansby Swanson each have a homer off of Pfaadt. The onus on Pfaadt will be to limit the long ball.