It’s been eight years since the last time the Diamondbacks played at Fenway Park. Back then, Mike Hazen was the general manager of the Red Sox and Torey Lovullo was the bench coach. Both came to Arizona following that season. Due to scheduling quirks, this weekend will mark the first time the two will return to Boston since.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Diamondbacks are 3-3 against the Red Sox under Hazen and Lovullo, winning a series in 2019 and losing in 2023. They’ll face a desperate Boston team that is fighting for their playoff lives, 3.5 games behind the Kansas Royals for the final American League Wild Card spot.
Lovullo made sure to take it in, taking some early batting practice. The Diamondbacks manager smoked a ball out over the Green Monster in left field, with video courtesy of Jody Jackson on X. Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo can be heard saying “That’s No. 3”.
Having some fun at Fenway pic.twitter.com/1S6tFHyhko
— Jody Jackson (@Jody_Jackson) August 23, 2024
Starting Lineups
Starting Lineups for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox for August 23, 2024 at Fenway Park.
The Diamondbacks will run out a similar lineup to Wednesday, with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. starting in left field instead of Pavin Smith. Gurriel has the most experience playing at Fenway Park, especially when it comes to handling the Green Monster in left field.
The Red Sox have loaded their lineup with left-handed bats. Since July 2, Ryne Nelson has held left-handed hitters to a .198/.250/.385 slash line.
Starting Pitcher: RHP Ryne Nelson
Ryne Nelson has been the Diamondbacks’ best starting pitcher since July. In nine appearances, eight starts, the right-hander has a 2.73 ERA with 55 strikeouts and 11 walks in 56 innings. He’s been a big reason behind the team’s recent hot streak, with the team’s record of 7-2 in those games but could easily be 9-0 with better relief work behind him. That’s why the team elected to keep him in the rotation over veteran left-hander Jordan Montgomery.
The biggest area of improvement has been his ability to spot his 95-99 MPH four-seam fastball over the edges of the strike zone. He’s thrown first-pitch strikes to 157 of 216 batters (72.7%) since July, putting hitters on the defensive. Once he establishes the fastball, he’s able to make the hitter respect the four-seamer, cutter, and a slider or changeup depending on the handedness of the hitter. Now with the ability to throw three different pitches at three different speeds, he’s a bona fide starting pitcher.
Pregame Notes
- Arizona’s ability to control the running game will be important. Since August 5, the Diamondbacks have allowed 24 stolen bases on 26 attempts. Part of that has been the loss of Gabriel Moreno, the other has been the pitchers’ lack of willingness to hold on runners and keep them from running on José Herrera (10/11) and Adrian Del Castillo (14/15).
- Ryne Nelson’s 1.7 fWAR since July 1 ranks fourth amongst all MLB pitchers according to FanGraphs.
- Bryan Bello has not faced the Diamondbacks in his career, Ryne Nelson has not faced the Red Sox.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
