Michael Soroka (8-3, 3.28) gets the ball at 4:10 PM ET, and he has been the most reliable arm on a Diamondbacks staff that lost Corbin Burnes for the season. Rhett Lowder (3-3, 5.01) draws the home assignment for Cincinnati, working back into form after a shoulder issue cost him most of May.
Soroka is the clear edge on paper and on the mound. His last time out he carved up Washington for 7 innings of 1-run ball with 6 strikeouts on 100 pitches, and he has allowed 1 run or fewer in 3 of his last 4 starts. Lowder, meanwhile, just got activated and looked it — 3 innings, 5 walks, 70 pitches to navigate a short outing against St. Louis. Reds fans will take the clean line, but 5 free passes is a problem against a lineup that just dropped a 5-spot on this same bullpen Friday.
The momentum gap is real. Arizona is 35-34 and rode a 5-2 win Friday into Saturday after a stinker of a Marlins series. The Reds are 32-36, lost 4 of their last 5, and just watched Soroka's counterpart from Friday — not Soroka himself — punch them out. Now Cincinnati has to scratch together runs against a guy who's been the best version of himself since 2019, with a roster missing some serious teeth.
- 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-ILA.J. Puk RP — The Diamondbacks paused Puk's (elbow) rehab Friday due to left shoulder discomfort, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic 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 Friday that an MRI showed De La Cruz's right hamstring strain to be 90 percent healed, Charlie Clifford of NBC 5 Cincinnati 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.
Cincinnati's injury sheet is the real story here. Elly De La Cruz is still on the 10-day IL with a hamstring (MRI showed it 90% healed per Terry Francona, but he's not in this game), Hunter Greene is on the 60-day, Emilio Pagan and Pierce Johnson are out of the pen, and Ke'Bryan Hayes is sidelined too. That is a lot of high-leverage talent watching from the dugout against a starter who doesn't beat himself.
Arizona has its own holes — Burnes, A.J. Puk's rehab paused again with shoulder discomfort, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Carlos Santana on rehab assignments — but they've got the right guy on the mound to absorb it Saturday. If the D-backs jump on Lowder early, this is a series win in a hurry. If Lowder finds the strike zone he didn't have last week, Great American Ball Park can flip it fast.