Left-hander Ray will get final tune-up Sunday
Lefty Robbie Ray will make a final start, likely an abbreviated one, on Sunday afternoon in Kansas City. And though he isn’t being lined up to start the do-or-die wild-card game next Wednesday, he’ll be ready to take the ball in relief if the situation arises.
“At this point, I’m available whenever they need me, and they know that,” Ray said. “Regardless of when that is, they know that I’m fully capable whenever they need me.”
The outing on Sunday is an opportunity to Ray to stay sharp during a time when he might otherwise go a lengthy period of time without pitching.
He started on Tuesday night, tossing five innings in a win over the Giants, and with Zack Greinke in line to start the wild-card game, Ray would be the logical candidate to start the first game of the division series, should the Diamondbacks get that far.
If Ray is needed in relief on Wednesday, the short start on Sunday not only wouldn’t prevent that from happening, it might leave him better prepared.
“We want to make sure we’re getting some mound time, some actual live game innings, and see where that lands him,” Lovullo said.
And if he’s not needed in the wildcard game and hadn’t started Sunday, that would leave him down 10 days before Game 1 of the division series, scheduled for Oct. 6.
Ray has made just six relief appearances in his professional career – three in the minors and three in the majors. His most recent relief outing came in 2014. Still, he feels confident he’d be able to help if needed.
“I think it is a different animal,” Ray said. “It has been three years since I’ve done it. But I feel like I’m more mature now than I was three years ago.”
Staying sharp
In another effort to keep pitchers sharp leading up to the postseason, Lovullo said starters Patrick Corbin and Zack Godley will log relief appearances in Kansas City this weekend.
Corbin is expected to pitch Friday after Greinke, and Godley will pitch Saturday following right-hander Taijuan Walker.
As to what that might mean about their potential postseason roles moving forward – it seems likely one of the two will shift to the bullpen if the Diamondbacks reach the division series – Lovullo said that’s yet to be determined.
“Everything is wide open,” Lovullo said. “We haven’t finalized anything. We’re just running out of days with guys being able to pitch. It’s just a matter of guys staying sharp and staying strong with endurance and durability.”
Short hop
Lovullo has refrained from “officially” naming Greinke the starter for the wild-card game, saying he wants Greinke to get through his outing on Friday in Kansas City before he finalizes it.