Diamondbacks See Reds Again to Begin Homestand

The Diamondbacks are back home, after a road trip saw them go 4-2 against the Reds and Orioles. Now, they'll return to Chase Field to face off against the Reds for the second time in three series, after they swept Cincinnati in three games on the road. First pitch is at 6:40 PM Arizona time.

D-backs left-hander Jordan Montgomery will take the mound for Arizona. In his four starts this season, Montgomery has recorded three Quality Starts. Although his ERA is not the prettiest at 4.70, skewed by a rough outing against the hard-hitting Dodgers, Montgomery's last outing was a strong seven inning affair against these same Reds.

Montgomery allowed seven hits and two walks, while only striking out two, but he managed to get out of jams and keep control of the game. He held the Reds to just two earned runs and got the win.

Across from Montgomery will be the same right-hander the D-backs faced in Graham Ashcraft. Ashcraft has pitched to a solid 3.86 ERA, but was chased after three walks and six hits, leading to three D-backs runs and the eventual loss.

For a more comprehensive breakdown of tonight's pitching matchup from Inside the Diamondbacks' Jack Sommers, click here.

The D-backs will send out their primary lineup against right-handers. Corbin Carroll will retain his leadoff role. Although Carroll appeared to be breaking out entirely in game one of the first series against Cincinnati, he returned to his slump, collecting just one base hit in four games. However, his most recent performance against Baltimore saw a multi-hit game, including a hard-hit double.

As is expected against righties, Joc Pederson will take DH duties. With Ketel Marte returning to his defensive position at 2B after some time in the DH slot, Kevin Newman will get the start at shortstop, with Blaze Alexander getting the game off as his defense continues to fall short. Marte is in the midst of a 13-game hit streak, and he's homered four times in the last seven games.

Jake McCarthy is out of the lineup in favor of Pavin Smith. McCarthy has been hitting well, although mostly for contact. He's slashing .293/.366/.402, but the power hasn't been there. However, McCarthy did club his first home run of the season in Sunday's game, hitting a 2-run shot that helped Arizona break the game open for an eventual 9-2 victory. McCarthy went hitless with three walks in the previous series in Cincinnati, while Smith recorded an RBI double and a walk in four plate appearances.

Arizona will once again look to contain the dangerous Elly De La Cruz. The D-backs' arms held De La Cruz to just two singles in the previous series while striking him out three times, although the speedster did collect four stolen bases, a surprise against a catcher like Gabriel Moreno who excels at throwing out runners.

Reds outfielder TJ Friedl is out of the lineup due to a fractured thumb after being hit by a pitch on Sunday. Cincinnati will send seven of nine hitters to hit from the right-handed box against a tough lefty in Montgomery.

The D-backs are inching ever closer to .500, sitting at 19-22, and could use a solid series win after dropping two of three in Baltimore, despite keeping each game tight with the AL East-leading Orioles at Camden Yards.