D-backs: Taylor Widener to pitch vs. Dodgers; Jon Jay makes roster
Jul 18, 2020, 6:25 PM
Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo provided updates Saturday on the team’s upcoming games in Los Angeles this weekend and some roster moves.
Taylor Widener, a 25-year-old who pitched in Triple-A Reno last year, will get the start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.
Widener struggled mightily last year with the Reno Aces, posting an 8.10 ERA in 100.0 innings, but he has excelled at all his other stops.
In Double-A the year before he had a 2.75 ERA. With the Yankees organization over the two years before, he had a 3.39 ERA in high-level Class A and a combined 0.47 ERA over 38.1 innings between Class A and low-level Class A.
The corps group of position players will start and play the majority of the game. Lovullo said he plans to give starters at least eight innings, and then they’ll get more rest the following day.
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“I think they’ve been up to six or seven innings. I think tomorrow will be a nice eight- or nine-inning day for them, and then back off of them the next day,” Lovullo said. “I haven’t determined how many innings in Game Two in L.A.”.
On Monday, Taylor Clarke will take the mound.
Clarke, 27, pitched in 23 games for the Diamondbacks last year, starting 15. He had a 5.31 ERA over 84.2 innings.
The first game will begin Sunday night at 6:10 p.m. and the second will start at 6:40 p.m. Monday night.
Both games will be broadcast at 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station and on FOX Sports Arizona.
Player movement
Outfielder Jon Jay has made the Diamondbacks roster, Lovullo said.
This will be Jay’s second stint with Arizona. After arriving in a 2018 trade, he hit .235 in 84 games with the team.
“We’re pretty close to what our final count will be,” Lovullo said.
James Sherfy, Matt Grace and Trayce Thompson were re-assigned to the Diamondbacks’ secondary site.
When asked, Lovullo specified that Josh Rojas and Kevin Cron have not yet been named to the roster.
“We still have some players that have to go out there and earn their spots,” Lovullo said.
Cron, working through a sore left hamstring, had three at-bats Saturday. The next steps in his rehab will be to run the bases after hitting the ball and moving laterally while playing defense.
