Diamondbacks look to extend winning streak against Giants

The Diamondbacks ride into the second game against the San Francisco Giants on a three-game winning streak, coming off an emotionally thrilling walk-off win. They are 1-0 in a seven-game stretch against teams ahead of them in the Wild Card. A win would not only extend their winning streak to four but also secure a series win against the Giants.

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The Giants, like the Diamondbacks, have dealt with their fair share of injuries and disappointments. Left fielder Michael Conforto was just activated from the injured list but also had to place Blake Snell on there with a groin injury. The Giants are missing a third of their starting lineup and starting second baseman Thairo Estrada is dealing with a right thumb issue. Estrada missed three games, but will return to the starting lineup Tuesday.

Starting Pitcher Matchup

Blake Walston (0-0, 2.16 ERA) will make his second career start. His last start came on May 26, when he kept the Miami Marlins off the scoreboard in 4 2/3 innings. Walston features a fastball that will start in the mid-90s early in his start, but then it settles in the 90-92 MPH range as he gets deeper. He has a swing-and-miss curveball, a cutter, a slider, and a changeup. With the Diamondbacks nursing injuries to the rotation, he’ll have an opportunity to showcase himself for about four to five starts.

It will be interesting to see how effective he is, as he’ll pitch at an unusual eight days’ rest. Expect the Diamondbacks to clip Walston when the Giants lineup turns over for a third time. In his last start, manager Torey Lovullo said they’re sitting around 18 batters for when they’re getting ready to pull him.

Kyle Harrison (4-2, 4.15 ERA) has held his own in his rookie campaign with the Giants. He has a swing-and-miss fastball that sits in the low-to-mid 90s with a lot of late, arm-side run. With that big fastball, the 22-year-old hasn’t been able to develop a consistent secondary pitch. According to his Baseball Savant page, Harrison has a -3 run value on his breaking pitches and -5 on his changeup. He uses his fastball nearly 64% of the time, so that’s the pitch that Diamondbacks hitters should try to sit on. If Harrison is unable to get them off the fastball, it could be a tough night for the young left-hander.

Starting Lineups

Game Notes

Diamondbacks

• Blake Walston has never faced the Giants in his career.
• Corbin Carroll, who went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts against Harrison, is not in the starting lineup. Jake McCarthy gets the start in center field. Lovullo talked about moving Carroll down in the order against lefties before Monday’s game.
• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has been excellent against left-handed pitching in 2024, hitting .333 with three home runs and a .897 OPS. He is 2-for-2 with a double against Harrison. Gurriel hit the 100th home run of his career against the Giants Monday night.
• Blaze Alexander has heated up in his last 10 games, with six starts, going 9-for-24 (.375) with three RBI. His defense also has tightened up, making a nice diving stop at shortstop the other night.

Giants

• Kyle Harrison pitched against the Diamondbacks on April 20. He allowed three runs on six hits in four innings, a game the Giants came back and won 7-3. That is Harrison’s lone start vs. Arizona in his career.
• Matt Chapman has crushed left-handed pitching this season, hitting .340 with two home runs and a 1.000 OPS. Jorge Soler is the only other Giant, with a minimum of 40 plate appearances, that has an OPS over .700 against lefties.
• Outfielder Heliot Ramos is starting to make due on his first round draft pedigree. He is hitting .298 with three home runs in his last 13 games.
• Catcher Patrick Bailey is batting .306 in his last 11 games.
• The lone left-handed hitter in the Giants’ starting lineup is left fielder Michael Conforto. Conforto is hitting .316 with three home runs and a .868 OPS in 38 plate appearances.
• Thairo Estrada returns to the lineup after missing three games with a right thumb issue.

Bullpen Situation

Diamondbacks

Thanks to Ryne Nelson’s long start, the Diamondbacks bullpen is in excellent shape entering the game. Ryan Thompson was the only other pitcher who appeared in the game, getting four outs on 16 pitches. With an expected short start from Walston, they should have a mostly “gassed up” bullpen for this game.

Giants

The Giants bullpen took a hit after doing a bullpen game. Spencer Howard served as the bulk reliever, throwing 67 pitches in 4 2/3 innings. Tyler Rogers and Erik Miller have pitched in back-to-back games, making them unlikely to be available as well. Randy Rodriguez and Ryan Walker have pitched twice in the last three days. If the Diamondbacks can knock out Harrison early, then they could really feast off an exhausted Giants bullpen.

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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona Cardinals for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB