Tommy Henry and Bryce Jarvis Both Sharp Against Rockies
Tommy Henry has been locked in a position battle with Ryne Nelson and Bryce Jarvis for the fifth starter's spot to open the season. After a strong start in his first two Cactus League outings, Henry hit a roadblock in his next three, struggling with command and execution, and getting knocked around the process.
Today was the exact opposite against the Rockies at Salt River Fields. During the D-backs 5-1 victory, Henry threw 3.1 innings without giving up a hit, walking one and striking out three. He was pulled from the game after 44 pitches with one out in the top of the 4th. He then went down to the bullpen to get two more "up-downs", getting his total pitch count for the day up to 74.
Henry had to work around trouble in the first inning when Christian Walker bobbled a ground ball at first by leadoff batter Charlie Blackmon. After a wild pitch, a strikeout out, and a walk, Henry induced a 5-4-3 double play to get out of the jam. This was an important step for Henry. During his last outing against the Royals, he was unable to pickup his fielders by executing pitches following defensive miscues. This point was emphasized by manager Torey Lovullo as an important feature that he's looking for in his players.
Henry echoed his manager's sentiments. "I think that's a big part of the culture here. That's what guys do. The times [the defense] picks up pitchers isn't as noticeable as the reciprocal. They do it countless times for us. That's just part of teammate, being there for each other."
Henry retired the next seven batters he faced before being pulled. He was getting ahead quickly and recording quick outs, pitching with a good pace and rhythm. After the game Henry felt he had a solid outing. "I was happy with some of the execution. I made a game plan to be more aggressive with my sequences, more full mix early. I think that helped, we saw a little bit more off balance swings today". Henry threw 21 fastballs, 13 curveball, seven changeups and three sinkers in game action.
Said Lovullo, "Tommy made pitches, was controlling counts, it just looked like he was in a really good rhythm. It was nice to see it, I know he's been grinding for a little while here, but it's nice to see him rebound......Overall Tommy was fantastic compared to his past couple starts. I know that everybody is a work in progress in spring training and he made the necessary adjustments that we expect and he got better. That's the bottom line.
Jarvis came on in the 6th inning and had a solid outing as well. He needed just 38 pitches to record 10 outs. Jarvis gave up one run, after a leadoff double by Brendan Rodgers in the 7th. He didn't walk a batter and struck out three, generating nine whiffs in 22 swings. His slider was especially sharp, generating five whiffs in eight swings. Jarvis also went down to the bullpen to throw additional pitches and remain stretched out Lovullo said.
The manager remains noncommittal on where they stand as far as making decisions on the fifth starter and a long man. Everything hinges on the status of Eduardo Rodríguez and whether or not he'll need to start the season on the injured list or not.
On offense the big boppers in the lineup did damage. Christian Walker got a hanging curveball from Peter Lambert and lifted the ball onto the berm in left field. Eugenio Suarez hit his second homer of spring, even deeper to left. Emmanuel Rivera had an RBI triple and Ketel Marte had an RBI base hit.
Joe Mantiply, Scott McGough and Luis Frias got their work in, combining to record seven outs before and after Jarvis' outing without allowing any runs.
Thursday is an off day for he D-backs, although Brandon Pfaadt is expected to throw on the back fields to stay in line for his expected start for the opening weekend against the Rockies. Cactus League play resumes on Friday when the D-backs host the Mariners at Salt River Fields. Game time is 1:10 P.M., and Ryne Nelson will get the start in his attempt to lock down the fifth starter's role.
