Can Diamondbacks' Eduardo Rodríguez Continue his Hot Streak?

The Arizona Diamondbacks fell back below .500 after splitting a four-game series with the San Francisco Giants on Thursday. They'll face a struggling Royals club for three at Chase Field beginning Friday at 6:40 p.m.

Arizona is 43-44, 3.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, while the Royals are 4.5 games back at 41-47.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Kansas City Royals Pitching Matchup

LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (5.13 ERA) vs LHP Kris Bubic (2.25 ERA)

Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez has been an entirely different arm since coming back from the IL. He has yet to allow more than two runs in a game since May 14, and has been able to live on both strikeouts and soft contact.

He'll face a Royals offense that ranks dead last in MLB in runs scored in hopes of delivering another deep start.

Rodriguez has suffered from some poor defense behind him, but was able to keep Arizona alive in every game he started in the month of June. Another solid start from the southpaw would go a long way.

Left-hander Kris Bubic has been excellent this season. He's pitched to a 2.25 ERA over 16 starts, and has generally gone deep into games. His June wasn't his most sparkling month, but he still pitched to a 4.23 monthly ERA.

Bubic throws a five-pitch mix. He relies mainly on a low-90s four-seam, a sweeper and a changeup, but also has a slider and sinker in his back pocket. It's been his breaking pitches that have seen the best results.

Opponents are hitting just .179 and slugging .244 against the sweeper. Bubic has induced chases (33.9%) and whiffs (29.7%) at a high clip, but has also limited hard contact and collected an average amount of ground balls.

Bubic has posted average to above-average numbers in nearly every category, and while his 2.66 FIP and 3.16 expected ERA are a bit above his raw ERA, they still tell the story of a very successful arm so far in 2025.

The Diamondbacks have been known to struggle against left-handed starters. If Bubic can create deception early, it might be a long night for a D-backs' lineup that allowed Robbie Ray to pitch a complete game on Thursday night.

They'll need to make Bubic work, and curb their aggressive approach to avoid handing out too much swing-and-miss.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Kansas City Royals Lineups

(Check back later for lineups.)

Diamondbacks vs Royals Bullpen

After Brandon Pfaadt was able to go six innings, the Diamondbacks turned to John Curtiss, Jalen Beeks and Kevin Ginkel Thursday. Beeks and Ginkel both threw over 20 pitches and are likely down Friday. Closer Shelby Miller threw five pitches Wednesday and did not throw Thursday.

The D-backs' bullpen continues to struggle with no end in sight. They'll need as lengthy a start as Rodriguez (and his defense) can muster against Royals offense that has struggled to create runs.

Kansas City closer Carlos Estevez threw 33 pitches Thursday and may be unavailable. Setup man Lucas Erceg threw 12 pitches and may or may not be available. The Royals' bullpen ranks sixth in MLB in relief ERA (3.54).

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