Ryne Nelson Strengthens Rotation Case vs. Rangers
Ryne Nelson has already made a strong case to make the rotation, entering play with a 3.09 ERA and a 14/2 strikeout-to-walk ratio this spring. Facing the Rangers lineup starting their top two prospects and three more lineup regulars, Nelson held them to one run for 3 2/3 innings, striking out 3, but also walking three. He finished his day with five up/downs and stretched out to 78 pitches.
The key for Nelson in this start was being able to throw his secondary stuff, especially in hitter-friendly counts. He kept the Rangers guessing by throwing his slider and changeup when behind the count, resulting in weak contact outs. While the box score does not accurately describe how well he pitched, Nelson's start strengthened his case to make the rotation.
One tough situation came up in the second inning. After an inside-out roller for a single by Jonah Heim, Nelson issued back-to-back walks to load the bases. He recovered quickly, striking out Travis Jankowski and inducing a groundout to short from Marcus Semien. It's an encouraging step for a pitcher who's struggled in those situations in the past.
The next step will be avoiding long innings, especially to the bottom of the order. In the first and third innings, he threw a combined 24 pitches. In the second and fourth, he threw 51. Against the bottom four hitters of the Rangers lineup, consisting mostly of bench and non-roster players, Nelson issued all three of his walks and allowed two hits.
On the offensive side of the ball, the D-backs scored a run in four of the first five innings. Ketel Marte and Blaze Alexander had two hits each, the latter hitting a towering home run to straightaway center field in the second inning. Alexander is 16-for-40 this spring with five extra base hits, as he's making it a tougher decision for the coaching staff to send him down to Reno.
