Rookie right-hander Koch will start against Nationals
WASHINGTON – Eager to get a better look at one of their young pitchers, the Diamondbacks will give right-hander Matt Koch the ball on Tuesday night against the Nationals, with plans of starting him again on the final day of the regular season.
Koch takes the place of right-hander Zack Greinke, who is done for the season after experiencing tightness in his shoulder following his start last week in San Diego. An MRI showed no structural damage, manager Chip Hale said, but the swelling in Greinke’s shoulder will have to subside before he can ramp up his throwing again, leaving him without enough time before the end of the season.
Koch was promoted to the majors for the first time earlier this month and has made five relief appearances, allowing just one run in seven innings. That run came on Friday night, when Orioles slugger Mark Trumbo hit the fourth and final pitch Koch threw deep to left field for a walk-off, 12th-inning home run. Koch pitched again on Saturday, tossing a scoreless inning on 11 pitches.
That Koch made two relief appearances so recently was not an impediment to club starting him on Tuesday, Hale said, because they were so brief.
“I think he threw 15 in two days and felt good -- almost like two sides,” Hale said, adding that Koch likely would throw around 75 pitches.
Hale said the club was also considering giving the start to left-hander Patrick Corbin, who has been dominant in relief for the better part of the past month, but ultimately decided they had more to learn by going with Koch.
“The comment Stew and Tony said was, ‘Hey this guy (Corbin) has already proven to us that he will be in our rotation in 2017, so let’s see what Koch could do against a really good team,’ Hale said, referring to General Manager Dave Stewart and Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa. “Where does he fit for us next year?”
Koch, 25, acquired from the New York Mets in August 2015 in the Addison Reed trade, posted a 4.70 ERA in 14 starts for Double-A Mobile and a 3.09 ERA in seven starts with Triple-A Reno.
“We’ve seen great things when he’s had a chance to take the mound and now he gets to take it as a starter,” Hale said. “And we get a look at him for two games and see where he can fit next year for us.”
Pollock update
Center fielder A.J. Pollock appears to be approaching a make-or-break point in his attempt to return to the field following a groin injury. He hasn’t played since Sept. 9 and is slowly ramping his way back toward running at full speed, going at about 85 percent on Monday, Hale said.
“I think they’re going to do some cutting tomorrow, so we’ll see where that progression goes,” Hale said. “He’ll have to run the bases first before he could play. But he’s hitting obviously and throwing.
“He really wants to get in a game. … If it’s the last two or three days, I don’t know if it’s worth putting him back in there. We’ll talk to him. I know he’s aching to get back in there.”
After Monday night, the Diamondbacks have six games left in the season.