D-backs and Rockies Game Preview with Updates from Torey Lovullo

Merrill Kelly starts, Jordan Montgomery joins the the team, and Evan Longoria returns to throw out first pitch and receive his NL Championship ring

When the D-backs take the field Friday night against the Rockies they will be trying to keep the momentum going from an historic season opener. Thursday night they scored 14 runs in the third inning, a Major League Record for a single inning on opening day. Zac Gallen was the lucky recipient of that run support.

Merrill Kelly gets the start in game two of the series and will face Cal Quantrill of the Rockies. DH Joc Pederson will make his Diamondbacks debut while Rockies manager Bud Black rolls out the same lineup as last night.

Kelly emerged last season as one of the top 10 starters in the National League, posting a 3.30 ERA and going 12-8 in the regular season. He enjoyed a terrific post season, which he kicked off by slaying the dragon in Los Angeles in Game 1 of the NLDS. Tonight he will be facing a familiar foe in division rival Colorado, who he's faced 12 times in his career, going 5-3 with a 3.89 ERA.

Quantrill has not faced the D-backs since 2022. He was traded this past November from the Guardians to the Rockies after struggling mightily in 2023, posting a 5.23 ERA in just 100 innings.

Prior to the game Torey Lovullo addressed the media and gave updates on the biggest news of the day. The Diamondbacks made the signing of Jordan Montgomery official earlier in the afternoon. As reported by Alex D'Agostino earlier, Montgomery let slip that he and the team are targeting April 19th as the date he will make his Diamondbacks debut. He'll begin his ramp up in Triple-A for the Reno Aces. Aside from getting stretched out, Lovullo emphasized that Pitcher Fielding Practice, learning the D-backs system for pickoffs and double plays was equally important to get him ready.

Lovullo could not say if the other young starters that will eventually be bumped from the rotation once Montgomery and the injured Eduardo Rodriguez return will work out of the bullpen or in the Reno rotation. The evaluation process, unlike spring training, will skew much more towards results and winning baseball games.

The D-backs will be giving out their National League Championship rings tonight. Said Lovullo "I can't wait to get my hands on it and put it on my finger. It's going to be a special day for us. We deserve that ring, and we never have to give it back, ever, it's our for the rest of our lives"

Evan Longoria, who was a big part of last year's team and playoff run will be on hand to throw out the first pitch and collect his ring. Lovullo said that he is in frequent communication with Longoria and he considers him a friend. "Evan had so much to do with the success of this team last year. The lessons that he was teaching, behind the scenes, nobody knows about it. I'll have casual conversations with players right now about how did you learn that, where did you hear about that for the first time, and they'll say Longo talked to me about it."

Lovullo said that Longoria's presence during the September run and the playoffs was key to slowing everybody's heartbeat down. He made several big impact plays that helped keep the team on tract at key moments. The 16 year veteran won three Gold Gloves, made three all star teams, and hit 342 homers while driving in 1,159 runs. His 59 career WAR put on right on the cut line for Hall of Fame third basemen.