D-backs’ Robbie Ray throws strong outing with Opening Day a possibility

MESA, Ariz. — The Diamondbacks haven’t publicly said what their plans are for a starting pitcher on Opening Day, but as of Thursday, Robbie Ray could take the bump in that first game against Colorado.

On Wednesday at lunchtime, it would have been logical to assume that D-backs ace Zack Greinke would be the Opening Day starter. He finished fourth in Cy Young voting in 2017, posting a 3.20 ERA with a 17-7 record.

But after Greinke exited Wednesday’s game early with groin tightness, Robbie Ray enters the Opening Day conversation.

“We’ve walked through some candidates,” manager Torey Lovullo said of who might start if Greinke isn’t ready. “We haven’t quite gotten to that point yet. We think we have a really good group of guys — we have four other guys that would deserve the ball. Yeah, I mean Robbie’s name would be at the top of the list and we’re still walking through that.”

In the process of getting ready, Ray made his fourth start of the spring on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs in Mesa and tossed five innings. He gave up four hits, two runs (both earned), walking none and striking out four. The two runs he gave up came on a two-run home run to Jason Heyward on a fastball left over the middle of the plate.

“Felt good. I was able to get to five innings,” Ray said. “I felt like the third, fourth and fifth inning, timing started to get really good and everything was coming out good after those first couple innings. It just took me a little bit to find it, but it felt really good.

Ray threw a 1-2-3 inning in the first and fourth frames and reached at least 94 miles per hour. He noted that he threw more curveballs last year than in 2016, and said that pitch was “on” for him on Thursday.

A successful Robbie Ray would be of great help to the D-backs, who saw Ray emerge as their clear No. 2 starter in 2017, a season in which he made the NL All-Star team. Ray went 15-5, pitching to a career-best 2.89 ERA and striking out 218 batters over 162 innings pitched. He also finished seventh in Cy Young voting.

And now, he may be tasked with getting the D-backs off on the right foot on March 29.

“I’m just going about my business everyday, honestly,” Ray said. “Just trying to build my arm strength up, build everything, get ready for the season. Whatever falls into place happens. It’s not a decision that I make and I’m not really going to worry about it.”

Ray didn’t seem concerned with changing his plan for the spring in consideration of possibly starting Opening Day.

“I just do what I’m told around here,” he said. “We get together and if that time comes and they make a decision, I’ll be ready for it. I’m still just kind of going and doing my thing. I mean, five innings — I don’t know how many pitches I threw — but really it would only take probably one more [start] to get six, six-plus [innings]. Strength-wise, my body feels ready to go. So whatever they tell me to do, I’m going to do it.”

BASE HITS

–Chris Owings played third base on Thursday, and reps at that position are likely to come for catcher John Ryan Murphy, too, Lovullo said.

“I feel like it’s gone pretty well for not playing there since I was like 13 years old,” Owings said. “I felt really comfortable once I got out there and got settled in and got that ball hit at me.”

Owings played at shortstop, second base, left field and right field for the D-backs last year, and played in center the year before that.

–Lovullo is “not yet” ready to name a closer.

“We haven’t gotten that far yet,” he said. “We talked about continuing the process and allowing them to perform. Some time here in the next several days we’re going to probably get down to that part of our roster, but we haven’t gotten there yet.”

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