The Arizona Diamondbacks resume their home game against the New York Mets on Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. The game can be seen on Bally Sports Arizona.
Christian Walker breaks the ice with a solo home run, the D-Backs lead 1-0
After six scoreless innings, Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker led with his 18th home run of the season in the seventh inning, a 434-foot shot to left center of Mets starter Kodai Senga.
Walker, who also hit a home run in the first game of the series Tuesday, hit just the fourth hit against Senga, who hit 12 in seven innings with a mix of fastballs and forkballs.
Tommy Henry threw six scoreless innings for Arizona, followed by Kyle Nelson and Scott McGough, who kept the Mets off the field until the eighth inning.
Tommy Henry shines again but the D-Backs are still scoreless
Left-hander Tommy Henry put on another impressive performance, conceding just two hits in six scoreless innings, but the Diamondbacks were unable to generate offense to back him up. After six innings it was 0-0 against Kodai Senga and the New York Mets.
For Henry it was the fourth strong performance in a row. During that span, he gave up just four earned runs in 24 1/3 innings (1.48 ERA) with nine walks and 18 strikeouts.
Henry’s performance, while effective, wasn’t quite as impressive as others in this series. He hit a season high on Wednesday with four walks (one of them intentional) and only managed two strikeouts. He also allowed a handful of hard-hit balls that converted to outs.
Still, he pitched when needed – and managed outs in the game’s biggest moments, including in the fifth when he had two ons and an out but worked his way out of trouble.
The Diamondbacks, on the other hand, have just three hits and one walk in six innings against Senga, who has ten strikeouts. He unleashed eight swinging shots with his forkball and kept the Diamondbacks batsmen guessing by occasionally hitting the fastball with two shots.
“Diamondbacks and Mets secured an early goalless tie.”
After four innings, the Diamondbacks and Mets are still scoreless. The early start was a marked departure from Tuesday’s opening game, which the Mets won 8-5 in a home run-ridden contest.
Tommy Henry has made an excellent start for the fourth year in a row. After hitting a career-best eight in his last start against the Angels, Henry has only one strikeout in four innings but has also limited the Mets to two hits. They didn’t have a runner to get into goal position until Tommy Pham hit a single in the fourth and advanced with a groundout. A popout and a groundout eliminated this threat in a short time.
On the other hand, the Diamondbacks were similarly powerless. They have six strikeouts against Kodai Senga, including three looking. Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll both reached with bloop singles in the first inning, but the Diamondbacks have not hit since as their only baserunner came on a walk from Christian Walker.
– Theo Mackie
Zac Gallen is excited to meet Clayton Kershaw at the All-Star Game
Of course, Zac Gallen’s All-Star Game nomination is a gratifying achievement, as he said he feels “honored and excited” by the selection. Gallen is always a perfectionist, though, and hopes to use his days in Seattle to take some pitching notes as well.
In a meeting with reporters on Wednesday, Gallen said he was most looking forward to meeting Clayton Kershaw.
“I grew up watching him,” Gallen said. “I think people my age, that’s the guy, along with (Max) Scherzer and (Justin) Verlander.”
Neither Scherzer nor Verlander were called up for that year’s game, but Kershaw was selected for the National League roster. He will miss the game itself due to shoulder pain, but he will still make the trip to Seattle.
Gallen have met Kershaw before, before a game last year. However, this meeting was brief. “I wanted to introduce myself and tell him I’m a fan,” Gallen said. “It really was.” The all-star celebrations will provide the pair with a more relaxed atmosphere in which to socialize.
“I want to ask about pitching,” Gallen said. “Namely the slider, definitely. I want to see what’s up with that thing. I’m by no means an older guy but this is my fifth year and I’ve just fallen in love with guys like this and Scherzer and Verlander have been doing it for so long. What it looks like, what it takes, and if they have any tricks for trading. Something like that. That would be my question, ‘How?’ … I need to know how you did it.’”
Kershaw debuted in 2008 and is now in his 16th year. Even at the age of 35, he still ranks among the top pitchers in the sport with a 2.55 ERA this year.
“It’s something you don’t see a lot of people up there anymore,” Gallen said.
Gallen is also hoping to meet fellow New Jersey native Mike Trout should the Angels superstar travel to Seattle. Trout fractured the hamate of his left hand Monday night.
“We played for the same travel team, obviously a few years apart,” said Gallen. “I’d just like to dig into his mind, almost reminiscing about the coaches we played for and stuff like that. I’ll try to really appeal to each individual’s brain and not be overly pushy.”
– Theo Mackie
Ketel Marte is out again due to back pain
Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was out for the second straight day with lower back pain. He was expected to engage in a variety of activities prior to the game. At that point it would be decided whether he would be available as a substitute.
Marte, who was in the original line-up on Tuesday afternoon before suffering a scratch, has struggled with back problems since being injured in an awkward slip on June 12.
Assuming he completes his pre-Wednesday game practice without a hitch, he could be available for a few goals in the game before possibly returning to the line-up on Thursday night.
– Nick Piecoro
Pitching duel between Diamondbacks and Mets on Wednesday
Diamondbacks LHP Tommy Henry (5-1, 4.08) vs. Mets RHP Kodai Senga (6-5, 3.53).
Henry hit well for the third straight game and gave up one run in 5 2/3 innings against the Angels Friday night in Anaheim. His only mistake was giving up a monstrous 493-foot home run to Shohei Ohtani in the sixth inning. … In his last three starts, he’s allowed four runs in 18 1/3 innings with five walks and 16 strikeouts. … Opponents are hitting just .190 from Henry’s slider, a pitch he says was largely responsible for his recent winning streak. … It was assumed the Mets would start Senga on Tuesday, but they opted to switch him out with RHP Max Scherzer to give Senga an extra day off. … Senga established himself as a pretty reliable starter for the Mets in his first season with the Mets after playing 11 seasons in Japan, sometimes delivering gems, sometimes not, but usually giving them five-plus innings and gives his team a chance to win. … Last time out, he gave up two runs in five innings against the Brewers. … Senga throws a four-seam fastball at an average speed of 95.8 miles per hour. On his so-called “ghost fork,” a climb averaging 83.6 mph, he gets an incredible 58.8 percent speed.
Game on Tuesday: Mets beat Diamondbacks in the opener of the series
Comes
Thursday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (5-4, 4.67) vs. Mets RHP Carlos Carrasco (2-3, 5.94).
Friday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (10-3, 3.15) vs. Pirates LHP Rich Hill (7-8, 4.50).
Saturday: At Chase Field, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks TBA vs. Pirates RHP Mitch Keller (7-8, 4:50).
What you should know about the New York Mets
The Mets rank among the most disappointing teams in baseball alongside the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Diego Padres, although the Mets may have the edge with a record $350 million in wages. Her offense is mid-table at 4.48 runs per game, while her pitching is slightly below average at a 4.50 ERA. 1B Pete Alonso has shown his usual power production with 25 home runs, but he only averages .221 and has a base average of .316. SS Francisco Lindor has a rather walking line of .223/.306/.446 despite having 17 homers. CF Brandon Nimmo had a strong year, hitting .279/.372/.458 with 12 homers. LF Tommy Pham has been in hot demand in recent weeks. He is 34 for 93 (.366) with 10 doubles and six homers since June 4th. RHPs Max Scherzer (3.87 ERA) and Justin Verlander (3.66 ERA) weren’t bad, but they weren’t as dominant as the Mets had hoped given their huge salaries.
Early Diamondbacks Mets reading
Arizona’s Stars: Carroll, Gallen and Gurriel traveled to Seattle for the All-Star Game
Journeyman finds home: The well-travelled McGough is a big part of the Diamondbacks bullpen
Bobby Bonilla Tag: The legendary Mets contract that started a baseball trend
MLB Power Rankings: The unstoppable Braves finally wrested top spot from the Rays