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Is Tommy Henry's Rotation Spot on the Line Tonight?
The Diamondbacks face the Rockies in the third game of the season
The Diamondbacks host the Rockies for game three of a four games series Saturday night at Chase Field, Game time 5:10 P.M. The D-backs have taken the first two games by scores of 16-1 and 7-3. The Diamondbacks will be giving out a Corbin Carroll bobblehead to the first 20,000 fans to enter the stadium. There will also be a ceremony to present Carroll with his Rookie of the Year Award from 2023.
The D-backs are going back to the lineup they used on Opening Day. Blaze Alexander is back in at DH. One of last night's heroes, Alek Thomas, is making another start against a left-hander. He hit a double off Kyle Freeland in the historic 14-run third inning on opening night.
Lineups for the Colorado Rockies (0-2) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2-0) on March 30, 2024 at Chase Field.
Michael McDermott
Tonight's starter, left-hander Tommy Henry, was locked in a battle for the fifth starter's spot all through Spring Training. As camp wound down it appeared he had been beat out by Ryne Nelson, who was lined up for the fifth game of the season early on. An injury to number three starter Eduardo Rodriguez opened the door for Henry to continue to receive at least one or two regular season starts.
Speaking yesterday manager Torey Lovullo said that the evaluation process will not be the same as in spring training. The team will be looking at results and making choices based on who best gives them a chance to win games.
Henry's start is the first of three straight by young starters, as he'll be followed by postseason hero Brandon Pfaadt on Sunday, and Nelson on Monday. How they perform the first couple of times through the rotation will determine what happens when Rodriguez, and newly signed Jordan Montgomery join team mid month.
The 26-year-old Henry has made 26 major league appearances, dating back to 2022, throwing 136 innings. He's gone 8-8 with a 4.57 ERA and 5.23 FIP. Henry does not strike out a lot of hitters, instead depending on a well-located fastball, a curveball and a slider to induce weak contact.
The Rockies counter with a lefty of their own, 30 year old Austin Gomber. He is in his fourth year wth the Rockies, following two with the Cardinals to open his career. In 2023 he made 27 starts going 9-9 with a 5.50 ERA in 139 innings. That was good for a 92 ERA+ , or roughly 8% worse than league average, even after the inflated run environment of Coors Field is taken into account.
