Ryne Nelson Begins Diamondbacks' Season-Defining Gauntlet

The Arizona Diamondbacks are 2.0 games out of a Wild Card spot with nine games to play — and all nine games will come against tough opponents.

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With the season on the line, Arizona will begin its brutal stretch with a three-game series at Chase Field against the Philadelphia Phillies. Game one is Friday at 6:40 p.m. MST, with right-hander Ryne Nelson facing off against former Diamondback Taijuan Walker.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Philadelphia Phillies Pitching Matchup

RHP Ryne Nelson (3.34 ERA) vs RHP Taijuan Walker (4.17 ERA)

Nelson has essentially been the D-backs' ace this season, considering the injury to Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen's overall underperformance and Merrill Kelly's departure.

Nelson has been extremely proficient for Arizona, pitching to a 3.34 ERA over 143.2 innings. He's pitched through the sixth inning in six straight outings, and has delivered a Quality Start in his last five.

Most recently, Nelson pitched a six-inning shutout against the Twins in Minnesota. He's given up four total earned runs in the month of September so far — a 2.00 monthly ERA.

Walker, meanwhile, has actually had a somewhat similar season in terms of usage. Like Nelson, he was used as a long reliever for a portion of 2025, but has been in the rotation since early July.

Walker pitched to a 3.14 ERA in the month of August, but has had a difficult three-start stretch to begin September. He's allowed 13 earned runs over his last 15 innings.

Walker throws a high-80s cutter as his primary pitch, with a splitter and low-90s sinker as his other main offerings. He also has a slider, four-seam and curve on occasion.

Opponents are hitting just .222 against the cutter, but they've hit it very hard, slugging it to a .502 clip. Overall, Walker has been worth a dismal -12 Pitching Run Value, per Statcast. He's struck out just 79 batters in 116.2 innings.

Diamondbacks vs Phillies Lineup