D-backs fall 2-1 to Reds in Chase Field exhibition
The Good:
Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin had a solid outing and made one final case to be the fifth starter in Arizona’s rotation on Friday night. He pitched six innings, gave up two runs with two walks and seven strikeouts while not allowing a single run against the Reds in a 2-1 loss at Chase Field.
Overall, Corbin threw 93 pitches and 60 of them were strikes.
It was also good to see Jason Kubel connect for a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the D-backs their lone run. Kubel has been dealing with knee and ankle issues this spring and not swinging the bat particularly well. He spent Wednesday and Thursday playing in minor league games after leaving Tuesday’s game against the Angels with an ankle issue.
The Bad:
The D-backs didn’t put together much offense aside from the solo home run by Kubel. Friday night’s starting lineup of Gerardo Parra, Martin Prado, Aaron Hill, Miguel Montero, Paul Goldschmidt, Kubel, A.J. Pollock and Cliff Pennington could be similar to what Arizona fans will see on Opening Day Monday. All together, they record one run on eight hits and left five on base.
Noted:
• All eight of the D-backs starting position players were removed from the game after seven innings. This is consistent with the final week of spring training. Manager Kirk Gibson wants his starters to get plenty of at-bats and time on the field defensively to build stamina, but he also wants to keep them fresh and ready for the start of the regular season on Monday, April 1st.
He Said It:
“He threw the ball really good. He was very comfortable on the mound and in the whole environment. 92 pitches, threw six in his last inning. He was real efficient and he was hitting both sides of the plate. Slider was very good tonight, very sharp and his change up, the few that he threw, was also very effective with that.” — Gibson on Patrick Corbin’s night.
Up Next:
The Diamondbacks will play their final spring/exhibition game on Saturday afternoon at Chase Field against the Cincinnati Reds. Left-hander Wade Miley is scheduled to make the start for Arizona and right-hander Homer Bailey will go for the Reds. Also scheduled to pitch for the D-backs is Randall Delgado, who is still fighting for the 5th starting spot in the rotation. Josh Collmenter and Heath Bell will also make appearances. First pitch is slated for 12:40 p.m.
