D-backs vs Reds Discussion

REDSDIAMONDBACKSElly De La Cruz – SSLars Nootbaar – LFSal Stewart – 1BCorbin Carroll – RFJJ Bleday – LFGabriel Moreno – CTyler Stephenson – CGeraldo Perdomo – SSEugenio Suarez – DHNolan Arenado – DHMatt McLain – 2BTim Tawa – 1BDane Myers – CFIldemaro Vargas – 2BHector Rodriguez – RFJose Fernandez – 3BKe’Bryan Hayes – 3BRyan Waldschmidt – CFRhett Lowder – RHPMichael Soroka – RHPAfter all the drama of the past few days, last night’s simple, straightforward and entirely drama-free victory was a much-needed palate cleaners. Okay, the Reds are well below .500 and occupy last place in their division for a reason. But as we saw with the Rockies, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be easy. There was a thorough competence about almost every aspect of the victory. Eduardo Rodriguez giving us almost six innings of shutout ball. The bullpen retiring 11 of the 12 batters they faced. The offense being remarkably productive in the clutch, going 6-for-13 with RISP. The last time we hit .450 there? June 29 – when we went 2-for-4 against San Francisco.

Dare we hope for more of the same today? With Michael Soroka on the mound, you have to be somewhat optimistic about the possibility. He has allowed two earned runs over ten innings, since coming off the IL. And those were against better offenses than the Reds, in the shape of the Rockies and Braves. Cincinnati are, at the time of writing, dead last in the National League with an OPS+ of just 90. They currently have eighty-two fewer hits than anyone else, and have also struck out more often. Interestingly, the D-backs’ hitters are last in K’s on 940 – seventy-two fewer than the next-fewest in the NL, the Cardinals.

Mind you, Arizona’s pitchers are also strikeout-averse. They are ahead of just the Rockies for K’s – that’s only by two, and Colorado has one fewer game. On the other hand, they have also walked fewer people than any other NL side. I guess the Diamondbacks’ staff are doing their bit for brighter baseball, with the fewest plate appearances ending in one of the “three true outcomes“, and instead generating more balls in play than anyone else. Oh, and who on Opening Day would have bet on tonight’s starter, Michael Soroka having the highest K-rate of anyone in our rotation? At 8.6 K/9, he is more than two strikeouts per nine innings ahead of the next best, E-Rod at 6.4. #YouCantPredictBaseball