World Series Game 2 Preview: Diamondbacks vs. Rangers

With the Diamondbacks down 1-0 and a tired bullpen, Merrill Kelly will need to deliver a strong start in Game 2.

The Diamondbacks and Rangers face off in Game 2 of the World Series tonight at Globe Life Field in Arlington Texas. The game is broadcast on FOX and first pitch is at 5:03 Arizona Time, 7:03 Central

 Arizona is hoping to bounce back from a tough Game 1 loss in which they were walked off on an 11th inning homer from Adolis Garcia after blowing a 5-3 lead in the ninth inning.  There were some positives from that game however, as the D-backs were able to score with their speed, swiping four bags. 

They'll need to do a better job of putting up consistent offensive pressure tonight however, as they were easily mowed down by the Rangers bullpen after the 5th inning. Limiting the free passes will also be a key point for the D-backs, who walked 10 batters in Game 1. That came back to bite them late in the game when Paul Sewald walked the number nine hitter ahead of Corey Seager's game tying homer.  If they're to get themselves back into the series, taking  Game 2 and tying up the series before heading back to Arizona would be a critical first step.  

Merrill Kelly needs to come up big for Arizona tonight. In terms of preparation, he said he's not going to treat this differently than any other start.

"Trying to treat it as much like a normal game as I can. Obviously once I get out there, it's probably going to be very apparent to me that it's not."

Pitching Matchups

With a tired bullpen after last night's extra inning game, look for Torey Lovullo to try to get Kelly deep into this game. For him to do that, he'll need good command of his fastballs and changeup in order to keep the Rangers hitters off balance. Texas' lineup is different than the Phillies, who are built mainly to slug.  Not only can the Rangers slug, they're also one of the best hitting teams.

Kelly likes to work the edges of the strike zone, sometimes just refusing to give in to certain hitters, which can lead to the occasional walk. Kelly sits in the low-90s with a 4-seamer and sinker to fill up the zone, turning to his changeup and cutter when he's trying to put away hitters. With command of six different pitches, having a good feel for him will allow him to stay one step ahead of the Rangers. 

The Rangers traded a pair of Double-A prospects for Jordan Montgomery at the trade deadline, and he's been everything they could hope for this postseason. Montgomery is a strike-thrower who attacks the zone with sinkers and changeups, then turning to his curveball and cutter when going for swings and misses. When he's going good, opposing batters make a lot of ground ball contact. That was evident in his start against the D-backs on August 20th, when he blanked them over eight innings. Arizona will need to employ an all-fields approach and lay off pitches that start at the knees, seeing the ball up before swinging. 

Lineups

Unsurprisingly, both teams will deploy similar lineups for Game 2. Arizona will flip Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte in the batting order with a lefty on the mound. Both teams were able to assert their offensive identity in Game 1, with the D-backs being able to weaponize their speed and the Rangers overwhelming offense wearing down Arizona's bullpen. 

The D-backs handed Jordan Montgomery his worst loss of the 2023 regular season back in April, scoring 7 runs in 4 innings. The player who needs to have a monster game tonight is Ketel Marte. The National League Championship Series MVP was 1-for-5 with two RBI in Game 1.

The D-backs are 6-1 when they steal a base in this postseason. Against a ground ball pitcher, being able to stay out of double plays will be important. In Game 1 they became the first team to steal four or more bases in three consecutive postseason games.

Bullpen

With the off-day tomorrow, every pitcher should be available out of the bullpen. However the trio of Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel, and Paul Sewald showed signs of wear in Game 1. All three pitchers have pitched in at least eight postseason games and their command was off at the worst time possible. If Arizona can win without having to turn to those pitchers, it would be all for the better, but they will need all of them to bounce back in Game 2.

The Rangers bullpen is a bit more rested although they could be without Dane Dunning and Jon Gray for Game 2, as both are converted starters for the postseason. Closer José Leclerc threw 26 pitches in two innings, although none of them were high-stress pitches. Their backend of the bullpen should be a full go.

Can D-backs Get off the Canvas in World Series Game 2?

Rangers Walk-Off D-backs in Game 1 of World Series