Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray takes ‘big step’ in second Cactus League appearance
Mar 6, 2017, 4:24 PM | Updated: 7:21 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray follows through on a pitch to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
SURPRISE, Ariz. — The good news: the pitch count was low.
The great news: no walks.
Now, Robbie Ray did fall behind hitters more times than not and had a pair of three-ball counts, but otherwise, it was a solid performance for the Arizona Diamondbacks left-handed starter in his second Cactus League appearance.
“I felt good,” he said.
Ray shutout the Kansas City Royals over three innings in the D-backs’ 4-1 win in front of an announced crowd of 4,824 at Surprise Stadium on Monday afternoon.
Facing two batters over the minimum, Ray allowed three hits, all singles, and had one strikeout.
The zero in the walk column, however, is what really stood out.
Ray issued three free passes in 1.1 innings last week against the White Sox.
“I felt like today I was able to mix in-and-out a lot better than my first outing, so that was good,” he said, referring to his fastball command.
Ray also pitched to contact.
In the third inning, he induced second baseman Christian Colon to hit into a double play, erasing a leadoff single. It was one of four groundball outs Ray recorded.
“I was able to get some groundballs when I needed it,” he said. “I think that’s a big thing is being able to, when guys get on base, not go for the strikeout and get a double play. I think that was a big step today.
“Getting two outs with the same amount of pitches is better than getting one.”
Added D-backs manager Torey Lovullo, “Robbie was attacking hitters. He mixed in some secondary stuff very early in the game, which I think was a little bit of an adjustment from his first outing. Overall, it was a great outing.”
Though he fell behind in the count to seven of the 11 batters faced, Ray needed just 39 pitches (23 strikes) to complete his three innings. He threw a first-pitch strike five times.
Among the pitches thrown, according to Ray, were a handful of changeups, a pitch he’s been working on this offseason.
“Just messing with some different grips. Seeing what feels right, feels good,” he said, adding the changeup could result in more ground balls. “Right now, I’m still getting comfortable with it, so I feel like, right now, it’s not a pitch that I’d throw behind the count but potentially in the future.”
Through two starts this spring, Ray has not given up a run in 4.1 innings.
“Obviously, you want to feel good but you also want your pitches to be crisp. That’s the main thing is feeling good with all your pitches and this is a big step in that direction,” he said. “I felt good with all my pitches today.”
BASE HITS
— After Ray exited the game, relievers Randall Delgado, Jorge De La Rosa and Andrew Chafin each threw one scoreless inning.
For Delgado and Chafin, that was their third straight scoreless appearance. De La Rosa, meanwhile, has not surrendered a run in two outings. The D-backs signed the former Colorado Rockies starter as a minor league free agent on Feb. 19.
“He made it clear that he wanted to be a reliever,” Lovullo said. “We made it clear that we want him to be a reliever, that’s going to be his role this year for us.”
— Half the runs the D-backs scored were driven in by right fielder David Peralta, who had RBI singles in both the fourth and sixth innings. Peralta is batting .267 (4-for-15) with four RBI in six games.
“We just had some quality at-bats, good at-bats at the right time and won a game because of certain areas of execution,” Lovullo said of the D-backs’ seven-hit attack. “It was a nice day.”
— Two of the three players competing to be the everyday shortstop found their names in Monday’s lineup. Chris Owings (2-for-4, two runs scored) got the start, while Nick Ahmed (0-for-3, two strikeouts) served as the designated hitter. Ketel Marte, acquired from Seattle in the offseason, is also in the mix.
“That competition has been going very well from my angle,” Lovullo said. “These guys have been engaged and playing with energy and performing very well, the entire group. I think the spirit of competition brings out the best in guys. It’s everything we had hoped for.”
— Life without first baseman Paul Goldschmidt began for the D-backs on Monday. Goldschmidt is with Team USA, preparing for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Four other players have left big-league camp: infielder Daniel Descalso (Italy) and outfielder Reymond Fuentes (Puerto Rico) plus relievers Silvino Bracho (Venezuela) and Fernando Rodney (Dominican Republic).
“Excited for our guys to be leaving and heading off to the WBC, and just kind of following their progress. We know it’s going to be an exciting time for them; going to ramp up the intensity,” Lovullo said. “That was a little bit of the new feeling today in camp. We were missing a couple of guys.”
