ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:
HERE’S THE STORY
♦ Arizona is 0-1 on its opening 6-game road trip @ Dodgers (0-1) and Padres (April 3-4).
♦ Merrill Kelly will be making his seventh career start @ Dodger Stadium…in his last 3 starts vs. Dodgers, is averaging 11.25 strikeouts per 9.0 innings (20 strikeouts in 16.0 innings).
♦Ketel Marte, in 12 road games @ Dodgers since 2021, is hitting .316 (12-for-38)/.988 OPS with 4 doubles, 2 homers, 6 RBI and 4 walks.
ROSTER MOVES
♦ The D-backs made the following roster moves:
• Acquired LHP Anthony Misiewicz from Cardinals for cash considerations.
• Transferred RHP Corbin Martin (right lat tendon avulsion) to the 60-day injured list.
FACING MAY
♦ The D-backs defeated RHP Dustin May (L; 5 ER in 4.0 IP) on Sept. 21, 2022 @ Dodger Stadium and have scored 8 runs in 5.1 innings in his 3 career starts.
♦ Christian Walker is batting .750 (3-for-4) with 2 RBI while Josh Rojas is batting .375 (3-for-8).
MR. D-BACK
♦ With his start on opening day, Nick Ahmed became the fi rst player in franchise history to play in 10 seasons for the D-backs.
♦ Ahmed’s 817 games played with the D-backs ranks seventh all-time, behind Luis Gonzalez (1,194), Paul Goldschmidt (1,092), David Peralta (961), Miguel Montero (906), Chris Young (885) and Steve Finley (849).
VARGAS COMES IN HOT
♦ At age 23-168 days, RHP Carlos Vargas is the youngest D-backs pitcher to make their Major League debut @ Dodger Stadium, ahead of Mike Gosling (23-352 days; 2004)…he’s also the youngest player to debut @ Dodger Stadium since Gavin Lux in 2019 (21-283).
♦ His first Major League pitch clocked in at 100 MPH for a called strike to Dodgers’ infi elder Miguel Vargas.
♦ Vargas missed the 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery and did not pitch in 2020 due to no Minor League season…in 2019, pitched at Short-Season A Mahoning Valley.
RHP MERRILL KELLY ♦ #29 ♦ 6-2/202
AT A GLANCE: Fifth season with the D-backs.
• Played 5 seasons in the Rays’ system (2010-14) then 4 seasons (2015-18) with the SK Wyverns in the KBO League.
• Rays’ eighth-round pick in the 2010 draft.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Is making his seventh career start @ Dodger Stadium.
LAST START: N/A
VS. DODGERS: Is 0-9 with a 5.97 ERA (42 ER in 63.1 IP) in 12 career starts (6 @ Dodger Stadium).
2022 RECAP: Went 13-8 with a 3.37 ERA (75 ER in 200.1 IP).
• Set career highs in innings pitched and strikeouts (177).
• Had the third-most pickoff s (4) in the Majors behind Robbie Ray/SEA (6) and Taijuan Walker/NYM (5).
• Led all Major League pitchers with 116.1 innings from July 1-end of season.
• Went 8-3 with a 3.75 ERA (40 ER in 96.0 IP) in 16 road starts.
2022 HARDWARE: In 2022, named NL Pitcher of the Month for July after going 4-0 with a 1.31 ERA (6 ER in 41.1 IP), 8 walks, 33 strikeouts and a 0.77 WHIP in 6 starts.
RUBBER ARM: In 2022, became the first D-backs pitcher with 200.0+ innings since Patrick Corbin and Zack Greinke in 2018…was 1 of 8 pitchers in the Majors to toss at least 200.0 innings in 2022.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:
