Diamondbacks Face Former Starter for First Time Since Deadline

The Arizona Diamondbacks will face former long-time veteran starting pitcher Merrill Kelly for the first time since he was traded, as a three-game series with the Texas Rangers begins Monday.

Arizona, fresh off their series win over the lowly Colorado Rockies, will face a challenge in the 61-58? Rangers — who are looking to make a playoff push in an extremely competitive AL West.

The D-backs, meanwhile, are still hoping to scrape their way back to .500 for any semblance of hope.

Below are the pitching matchups for the upcoming series:

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Texas Rangers Pitching Matchups

Monday, August 11: RHP Ryne Nelson (3.20 ERA) vs RHP Nathan Eovaldi (1.38 ERA)

Ryne Nelson will look to continue his excellent season. After it looked like he was on track for a rough start against the San Diego Padres his last time out, Nelson settled in for 5.2 innings of two-run baseball, exiting in line for the win.

Nelson's 3.20 ERA leads the D-backs' rotation, and he'll go up against Texas' best.

Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi hasn't just led the Rangers' rotation, he's been one of the best arms in baseball.

At 35 years old, he's pitched to a 1.38 ERA over 19 starts. In his most recent outing, he spun eight scoreless innings against the Yankees, allowing only one hit. Eovaldi has a career 3.57 ERA against the D-backs. He also threw six shutout innings against Arizona in game five of the 2023 World Series.

Tuesday, August 12: RHP Anthony DeSclafani (4.20 ERA) vs RHP Jack Leiter 4.05 ERA)

Anthony DeSclafani rebounded from his blowup start in Sacramento with a quality showing against the Padres, throwing 4.1 scoreless innings with four punchouts.

He's still working on building up length, coming off arm surgery in 2024 and spending the first half of 2025 in long relief. He was limited to 71 pitches in that last start, and will likely be limited to 75-80 in this one. Efficiency will be the key.

Right-hander Jack Leiter has looked much-improved in his sophomore season, but he's struggled to go deep into games.

In back-to-back starts, he could not complete the fifth inning, allowing six hits and seven walks over his last 7.2 innings of work, though he only gave up three earned runs. Leiter has never faced the D-backs in his young career.

Wednesday, August 13: RHP Zac Gallen (5.31 ERA) vs RHP Merrill Kelly (3.38 ERA)

If Zac Gallen wasn't having an uncharacteristically poor season, this matchup might be an extremely desirable pitchers' duel.

Gallen and Kelly are close friends from their time in Arizona, and will face off on opposing clubs for the first time in their respective careers.

Related Content: Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen Opens Up on Merrill Kelly Trade

But Gallen has thrown to career-worst numbers, and has consistently struggled to put together success. He has, however, put up back-to-back six-inning Quality Starts.

Perhaps, free of deadline stress, he's finally shaping back into form, but for now, it's a tenuous strand of hope.

Kelly, meanwhile, was traded to the Rangers at the Deadline for three pitching prospects. He's having an excellent season, with a 3.38 ERA (3.22 with the D-backs), but his first two starts with Texas have not been outstanding.

He allowed four earned runs on five walks over 4.1 innings in his most recent start, but it seems likely he'll bring his best stuff against his former club. If both arms are in their vintage form, Wednesday's game will be must-see TV.

"I was joking with Zac," Torey Lovullo said postgame on Sunday. "I said, 'There's going to be a showdown on Wednesday. You guys ready to rock? Have you talked to Merrill?'

"He's like, 'No, nothing. I'm ready to go.' So I think he's pretty excited about it. It's going to be a big moment for me to watch those two guys going toe-to-toe at each other," Lovullo said.

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