Dodgy start to NLDS
Diamondbacks pitcher Ray could be the key to NLDS upset
The Diamondbacks got off to a bumpy start Friday night in Game 1 of their National League Division Series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Arizona starting pitcher Taijuan Walker was knocked out after a four-run first inning, and the Dodgers added three more runs against Zack Godley in the fourth. A.J. Pollock, J.D. Martinez, Ketel Marte and Jeff Mathis had solo homers for the D-Backs, who were trailing the Dodgers, 7-4, in the eighth inning at press time. For the final score, visit
dbacks.azcentral.com. Find more D-Backs coverage on
Page 1C. Game 2 of the NLDS is this evening at Dodger Stadium.
LOS ANGELES – Winning baseball can’t be distilled to an individual. But if a magical season has a reason, his name is Robbie Ray.
He’s the one who developed a curveball in the offseason, transforming into a starting pitcher who consistently dominates the opposition.
He’s the one who scares Los Angeles the most, becoming the first player in history to record four 10-strikeout games against the Dodgers in a single season.
And if you didn’t know, he’s the one who convinced Archie Bradley to grow a beard.
“It was a decision to bring a little unity to the staff,” Ray said.
Bradley immediately protested, not sure how the color of his facial hair would translate.
“He’s like, ‘Man, I’m going to have a red beard! I can’t have a red beard!” Ray said. “I told him, ‘Just embrace it.’”
Just like that, a legend was born.
“I owe this beard to Robbie Ray,” Bradley said. “He’s the one who put the idea in my head a year ago.”
But Ray’s growing legend is of far greater importance at the moment. He will start for the Diamondbacks on Saturday at Dodger Stadium, in what could be a pivotal
Game 2.
If he beats the Dodgers again, he will guarantee that Arizona has two home games in the National League Division Series. And then he’ll be ready to roll again in a potential Game 5 at Chavez Ravine, which lines up perfectly for the Diamondbacks.
The only concern is the 34 pitches Ray threw in a relief role, when he helped rescue a struggling Zack Greinke during the wild-card playoff. Except he says it’s no concern at all.
“I feel great,” Ray said. “My arm feels great and ready to go . ... I wouldn’t give this team anything but 100 percent of myself. I feel like that would be cheating me and cheating the team. So I feel 100 percent, and I feel ready to go.”
Ray faced the Dodgers five times in 2017 and never lost a decision. He held a potent Los Angeles lineup to a .211 batting average. Corey Seager (.143) and Cody Bellinger (.167) have struggled mightily against Ray, and Justin Turner (.208) hasn’t been much better. Even Dodgers manager Dave Roberts admitted that his team hasn’t solved Ray, which makes the left-handed starter Arizona’s biggest weapon in this series.
“Obviously, the atmosphere here is different,” Ray said. “The fans are loud. It’s pitching against the best team in baseball, so you obviously want to bring your A-game, your best stuff. So I think it’s just a combination of things.”
As evidenced by a flurry of highscoring playoff games, the sport of baseball is changing before our eyes. The game is about home runs, relief pitching and strikeouts. The Diamondbacks are an anomaly, a team that is built on the strength of their starting rotation.
But Greinke did not complete his mission against the Rockies, failing to get out of the fourth inning. Lovullo was asked about the trend and why dominant starting pitching had been so rare entering the NLDS.
“This is a very, very emotional time,” Lovullo said. “October baseball is the best thing in the world as far as I’m concerned. I think these players feel it for so long that maybe they walk out on the mound, give what they can, and their tank is emptied a little sooner than later.
“And you have so many things you’re walking into today. With today’s players, they’re able to equip themselves with all sorts of information, video, advanced scouting. They can direct their own swings and prepare their own swings to attack starting pitching. I think there’s a lot of things that go into that.”
So far, it hasn’t worked for the Dodgers when it comes to facing Ray. And in the long run, it might have been a good thing that Ray was forced to work in relief against the Rockies.
It gave him a quick education in high-stakes, playoff baseball. And he’ll know exactly what to expect when he takes the mound on Saturday.
“I was able to control my emotions,” Ray said. “But I felt like a start (feels) a little different, knowing that you’re coming into the game and setting the tone for the whole game. But I do feel like getting into that game gave me a little bit of a taste of it.”
By the way, Ray liked the taste immensely. And that could be bad news for the Dodgers.