Eduardo Rodriguez and his 2.52 ERA against Nick Lodolo and his 5.51 ERA is about as lopsided as a starting-pitcher matchup gets on paper. The lefty E-Rod has been the one thing keeping the Diamondbacks rotation afloat with Corbin Burnes shut down, while Lodolo gave up 10 hits in 5 innings to the Cardinals his last time out.
The bigger story for Arizona today is that Jordan Lawlar is back. The Diamondbacks are reinstating him from the 60-day IL ahead of first pitch, which is a real shot in the arm for a lineup that just got blanked in back-to-back games in Miami. Throw in that Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Carlos Santana are both on rehab assignments and the offensive cavalry is at least within sight.
The Reds are not exactly catching Arizona at full strength either. Elly De La Cruz is still on the 10-day IL with the hamstring and is awaiting a follow-up MRI, Hunter Greene is months from coming back, and the bullpen is missing Emilio Pagan and Pierce Johnson. The one positive: Jose Trevino is getting activated, so Cincy at least gets a catcher back behind the dish.
- Day-To-DayA.J. Vukovich CF — no
- Day-To-DayDerek Law RP — no
- Day-To-DayKyle Amendt RP — Amendt was invited to major-league spring training by the Diamondbacks, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.
- 10-Day-ILLourdes Gurriel Jr. LF — Gurriel (hamstring) began a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Monday, going 1-for-4 with an RBI single.
- 10-Day-ILJames McCann C — McCann (quad) has started taking machine batting practice and doing catching drills, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.
- 60-Day-ILJordan Lawlar LF — The Diamondbacks will reinstate Lawlar (wrist) from the 60-day injured list ahead of Friday's game against the Reds, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports.
- 60-Day-ILCarlos Santana 1B — Santana (thigh) began a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on Friday, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.
- 60-Day-ILCorbin Burnes SP — Manager Torey Lovullo said Wednesday that Burnes (elbow) has been shut down from throwing after suffering a teres major strain, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
- Day-To-DayConnor Burns C — no
- 10-Day-ILElly De La Cruz SS — Reds manager Terry Francona said Wednesday that De La Cruz (hamstring) is scheduled to take part in infield drills for the second day in a row and will undergo a follow-up MRI on Friday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
- 10-Day-ILJose Trevino C — Trevino (hamstring) will make one final rehab appearance for Triple-A Louisville before being activated Friday, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILKe'Bryan Hayes 3B — Hayes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.
- 15-Day-ILEmilio Pagan RP — Pagan (hamstring) will be re-assessed for strength deficit on Monday, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILPierce Johnson RP — Johnson (elbow) is expected to toss a bullpen session Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 60-Day-ILHunter Greene SP — Reds manager Terry Francona told reporters Saturday that Greene (elbow) could return from the 60-day injured list prior to the All-Star break, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 60-Day-ILGraham Ashcraft RP — Ashcraft (elbow) received a platelet-rich plasma injection Tuesday, MLB.com reports.
Both teams are sitting under .500 (Arizona 34-34, Cincy 32-35), both have lost 4 of their last 5, and neither one looks particularly inspired right now. That's the kind of spot where the better arm usually wins, and the better arm in this game is wearing Sedona red. Lodolo has shown flashes in his career but he hasn't put together a clean inning since basically Memorial Day.
It's a Friday night at Great American Ball Park, which is one of the friendliest yards for a fly ball in baseball. That's the only real reason to think this 9.5 total has a pulse, because both lineups are dinged up and the visiting starter is throwing strikes.