Diamondbacks-Guardians preview: Pitching probables, key players

The Arizona Diamondbacks defied odds and won a wild three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend.

After winning a back-and-forth game on Friday and getting outpitched by Pirates starter Mitch Keller on Saturday, the Diamondbacks rallied back from an early 4-0 deficit to overcome rookie sensation Paul Skenes and win 6-5 on Sunday, taking the series.

Now, the Diamondbacks head to Cleveland, where the Guardians lead the AL Central by 4.5 games.

The Guardians, despite dropping their last two games against the Baltimore Orioles, have won eight of their last 12 games and sit at 67-44 on the season.

Cleveland poses as one of the league’s toughest teams to play at home this season, posting a 35-17 record at Progressive Field in contrast to their 32-27 record on the road.

Arizona, however, has won 11 of its last 15 games coming out of the All-Star break, improving to a 60-52 record and clinging onto a Wild Card spot with a 1.5-game cushion.

Here’s what to know going into this week’s three-game series.

Diamondbacks-Pirates pitching probables

Monday, 3:40 p.m. – Zac Gallen (9-5, 3.56 ERA) vs. Logan Allen (8-4, 5.67 ERA)

Tuesday, 3:40 p.m. – Eduardo Rodriguez (season debut) vs. Ben Lively (10-6, 3.42 ERA)

Wednesday, 10:10 a.m. – Brandon Pfaadt (5-6, 3.97 ERA) vs. Carlos Carrasco (3-9, 5.53 ERA)

Diamondbacks fans expect to see the long-awaited debut of free agent signing Eduardo Rodriguez on Tuesday, according to Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro. The southpaw matches up against Cleveland starter Ben Lively.

Rodriguez was signed to a four-year, $80 million deal in the offseason. However, he went down with shoulder discomfort during a spring training start and ultimately missed four months.

Now, he faces a familiar foe with the Guardians, a team he faced frequently during his time with the Detroit Tigers the past two years.

Rodriguez is 6-0 against the Guardians in his career, posting a 2.28 ERA in 55.1 innings while recording 46 strikeouts.

Besides Lively, who’s been one of Cleveland’s best starters this season, the Guardians have southpaw Logan Allen and veteran Carlos Carrasco slated to pitch against Arizona this week.

Allen rejoined the Guardians as part of the taxi squad on Sunday and was activated to pitch against the Diamondbacks in his first appearance since being optioned to Triple-A on July 7.

Both Allen and Carrasco have an ERA over 5.50, and with how hot Arizona’s bats have been, the Diamondbacks hope to take advantage.

Diamondbacks and Guardians hitters to watch

D-backs: It’s the same story every day. Ketel Marte somehow keeps finding ways to improve. He now has 27 home runs and 77 RBIs this season after hitting three homers against the Pirates over the weekend. He’s already surpassed his 2023 home run total (25) and continues to make a case for MVP. He ranks second in the National League in WAR (5.8) this season behind Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.

Josh Bell made a strong first impression with the Diamondbacks, smacking two home runs in the series opener against his former team on Friday. Now, he gets to play another former team — the Guardians — and keep his momentum going. In his last 15 games, Bell has slashed .326/.426/.761 while hitting six home runs.

Guardians: An opposing pitcher can struggle at any moment’s notice in Cleveland. This series is highlighted by Rodriguez’s return to the mound for Arizona, and most of Cleveland’s lineup has faced him numerous times before. All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez is 6-for-24 against Rodriguez, homering twice while striking out five times. However, the switch hitter has put up absurd numbers this season, boasting a .277/.329/.870 slash line while piling together 29 home runs and 93 RBIs. He has also tallied 22 stolen bases in the process.

Steven Kwan is batting .333 this season while Josh Naylor has hit 24 home runs.

How to watch Diamondbacks-Guardians

All three games will be televised on DBACKS.TV through channel 34 on Cox.

The radio broadcast for all three games will be available on the Arizona Sports app, 98.7 and ArizonaSports.com.