The D-backs Need Tommy Henry to Step Up Again Tonight Vs Cubs

The Diamondbacks are seeking to even the series against the Cubs with improved offense and an excellent start by Henry.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are taking on the Chicago Cubs once again, Tuesday night at 6:40 PM at Chase Field. The D-backs are looking to get back in the win column and get back to .500 with their record currently being 8-9. The Cubs are looking to climb the NL Central standings as they are in third place with a 10-6 record.

The D-backs are looking to reverse their trend over the last 10 games as they've gone 4-6 and that has dropped them to third place in the NL West. They are two games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers for first. Meanwhile, the Cubs are 6-4 over their last ten and sit 0.5 games back of first in the NL Central. The NL Central has five teams with eight wins or more.

Starting Pitchers

The Diamondbacks are sending out Tommy Henry to make his fourth start this year. It's possible that it's his final start before being sent down or moved to the bullpen to make way for Jordan Montgomery. Either way, he's battling for his rotation spot with best friend Ryne Nelson. The Cubs are countering with elder veteran Kyle Hendricks. The soft-tossing right-hander is making his fourth start too.

Henry, the young left-hander, is seeking to pitch five or more innings for the third time in a row while allowing two or fewer runs. His last two starts have been five innings and two runs allowed in very tough ballparks like Colorado and Atlanta's. In Colorado last week, he truly made just one mistake pitch that got sent out for a two-run homer. Otherwise, he gave up just four hits, three walks, and struck out six batters.

On the season, Henry is 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA over 14 innings with 16 hits, nine runs, seven walks, and 15 strikeouts. The walks have been an issue with at least two in every start so far. But, the ERA is a bit misleading as five of those nine runs came in his first start of the year. Since then, he's allowed four runs in 10 innings.

The Diamondbacks ran through six relievers last night. Ginkel is likely down after throwing over 25 pitches. Bryce Jarvis has pitched on back-to-back nights including over 40 pitches last night. One has to think that Scott McGough and Luis Frías will pitch tonight out of the bullpen. This puts the pressure and onus on Tommy Henry to have a standout start.

The D-backs need as much a buffer as possible with their likely backup relievers going tonight. They need at least five innings from Henry, but preferably six. They need a lead when he leaves the game, a lead as big as possible. The Diamondbacks need Henry to have the best start he's had yet this year in a game that they need to win in order to even the series up. Plus, the Cubs will be a Wild Card contender and Arizona needs to win against their fellow contenders.

This is Tommy Henry's shot to put a standout game in the minds of Manager Torey Lovullo and the coaching staff like Ryne Nelson did Saturday. The D-backs and their bullpen need it in the worst way possible.

On the Cubs side, Hendricks has been struggling thus far into the season. He is 0-2 with a 12.08 ERA over 12.2 innings with eight strikeouts. He has given up 26 hits, 17 runs, and four walks over his three starts. His last start against the Padres resulted in five innings of nine hits, seven runs, and just two strikeouts.

So far, Hendricks has been unable to miss loud contact with five homers given up already. Last year, he gave up just 13 homers in 137 innings. Hendricks is 34 and has dealt with injuries the past couple of seasons, perhaps his stuff is starting to go downhill. The D-backs will need to take full advantage of any struggles tonight.

Last year, Hendricks had a 4.09 ERA over two starts against Arizona with 11 innings, 14 hits, five run, two walks, and seven strikeouts. In his start at Chase Field, he allowed seven hits and three runs over five innings.

Starting Lineups

Lineups for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks April 16, 2024 at Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona.

Michael McDermott

The D-backs are putting out their best nine hitters today, prioritizing offense over defense as they seek to gain a win. The D-back are well-versed with facing Hendricks. Five of the starting lineup have faced Hendricks at least six times with four them facing him at least 15 times.

Walker has six hits and an RBI against him in 18 at-bats. Ketel Marte has struggled with a .154 average over 13 at-bats. Meanwhile, Eugenio Suarez has two homers and 12 RBI against Hendricks. The D-backs will look to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to continue to spark the offense and he has two RBI in five at-bats against Hendricks. Gurriel Jr. is currently on pace for 41 homers and 182 RBI, numbers that are unsustainable but showcase how hot he has been at the plate.

A key development would be Corbin Carroll continuing to make contact with the ball, especially to his pull-side. Last night, he hit a line drive to right field for the first time this season. It resulted in a hit and an RBI. More of that today would be a massive boon for Arizona's chances tonight and this season.

For the Chicago Cubs, no one has faced Tommy Henry before. However, Michael Busch will look to stay hot and set a Cubs record with his sixth homer in six consecutive games. The Cubs will hope for the offense to get going after struggling for most of the season.