Arizona

Diamondbacks' Ryne Nelson shuts down Pirates at Chase Field

Published

5 months ago

May 27, 2025

Diamondbacks' Ryne Nelson shuts down Pirates at Chase Field

PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson made another pitch that he belongs in the starting rotation with 6.2 shutout innings on Monday in a 5-0 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Nelson played the role of stopper, as his performance was key to ending a five-game losing streak.

The Diamondbacks have five shutout wins this season, which have been started by four different pitchers (Corbin Burnes twice, Brandon Pfaadt, Merrill Kelly and now Nelson).

Nelson allowed four hits with no walks, striking out four batters as he consistently pounded the strike zone for quick outs. He threw 59 strikes out of 84 pitches, setting his season high for pitch count.

“Fastball command was there, I feel like that’s where it always starts for me,” Nelson said. “I’m jumping ahead of guys. I feel like that opens up everything. Slider and curveball made a big step forward today, and the changeup, as well.

“Been working on the secondary stuff a lot in these bullpens I’ve had, so nice to have the week to get some quality work in on the secondary stuff.”

Dating back to July 2024, Nelson has made 15 starts with a 2.98 ERA as a starter. Through three starts this season, Nelson has tossed 16 innings with three earned runs.

Ryne Nelson, Nasty 85mph Slider. 😨 pic.twitter.com/glFbEqBKoX
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 27, 2025

The right-hander had to deal with some early tough luck on Monday, as Pirates lead-off man Oneil Cruz hit a weak chopper that hugged the third-base line for a double on the first pitch of the game. Nelson worked out of that jam, sitting down eight of the next nine batters with only a ground ball single mixed in.

He worked through the fourth, fifth and sixth innings with only 29 combined pitches, striking out Cruz for a second time to end the fifth. He retired the final eight batters he faced.

Taking Ryne Nelson out of the rotation is a tough choice

Monday was Nelson’s second start since he took over a rotation spot with southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez hitting the 15-day injured list on May 15 (shoulder inflammation).

Nelson delivered five innings with one earned run at Dodger Stadium last week.

He opened the season in the bullpen as the odd man out in a crowded group of starting pitchers. The D-backs have kept him stretched out to a degree as a long man, allowing him to make starts when needed.

What happens to Nelson when Rodriguez returns will be cause for tough discussions.

“Making it hard on them means I’m going out there and doing my job,” Nelson said. “That’s all I’m trying to do right now is prepare each week, take care of the body, make sure the arm stays healthy and go out there and get some outs.”

Manager Torey Lovullo said pregame that the idea of using the struggling Rodriguez (7.05 ERA) — an accomplished veteran in Year 2 of an $80 million contract and the lone lefty in the rotation — as a reliever has not come up behind closed doors.

Rodriguez threw three innings and 55 pitches in a simulated game over the weekend and will toss a bullpen on Tuesday. He is expected to need one more rehab outing, so Nelson is in line to make his next start on Sunday against the Washington Nationals.

What is clear is that Nelson is one of Arizona’s best five starting pitchers right now and has been since the middle of last year. He’s made it difficult to keep him out of the rotation before, notably last summer when the D-backs bumped $25-million-dollar Jordan Montgomery to the bullpen to keep Nelson starting.

“Nelly’s a very important piece of this team,” Lovullo said. “He will continue to be, no matter where he’s throwing.

“ I like tough decisions. I love digging into coaches to give me reasons why we do things and how we’re doing them. I like when we’re challenged by players performing at a very good level when they’re doing their job. We should have those types of tough conversations.”

Diamondbacks out-slug Pirates

Arizona’s lineup gave Nelson early support, coming through with two runs in the second inning off Pirates lefty Andrew Heaney. Randal Grichuk singled and Gabriel Moreno doubled to start the frame, but the D-backs were already 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position in the first inning.

This time, the club executed, as Tim Tawa hit a sacrifice fly and Ketel Marte singled home Moreno.

Then the power came into play, as Eugenio Suarez hit a 433-foot solo shot in the third and Josh Naylor smacked a two-run homer in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead.

Josh Naylor crushes his 6th homer of the season! pic.twitter.com/FefZ8iFHj0
— MLB (@MLB) May 27, 2025
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Moreno finished the game with three hits, while Marte and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. each collected a pair of knocks. The team went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

Contentious 8th inning

The eighth inning must have been stress-inducing for a fanbase that has watched Arizona’s bullpen struggle to hold seemingly safe leads before. The Pirates worked the bases loaded with no outs after a Suarez error and back-to-back walks from Scott McGough.

Justin Martinez entered for his second appearance since coming off the IL to face the jam, quite a test for the right-hander to jump back into another high-leverage situation.

Martinez struck out Bryan Reynolds on a nasty splitter, forced a pop-out and ended the inning with a fielder’s choice to keep the shutout intact.

“It was great to see that,” Lovullo said. “For me, that was a save.”

Justin Martinez, Filthy 89mph Splitter. 😷 pic.twitter.com/640xjfWNT9
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 27, 2025

Diamondbacks’ next game

The Diamondbacks (27-27) will play for a series win on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. with Burnes on the mound. Pittsburgh (19-36) will start right-hander Mike Burrows, who has one MLB start to his name.

Pirates ace Paul Skenes will start on Wednesday against Zac Gallen.

Both games will air on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.

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Arizona

Hamilton vs. Chandler: Watch live Arizona high school football showdown Friday night (11/7/2025)

Published

10 hours ago

November 6, 2025

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Hamilton vs. Chandler: Watch live Arizona high school football showdown Friday night (11/7/2025)

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The undefeated Hamilton Huskies (9-0, 3-0) travel to take on the red-hot Chandler Wolves (8-1, 3-0) in a pivotal 6A Fiesta League regular-season finale showdown on Friday night. With both teams sporting impressive resumes, this matchup is a can’t-miss battle for supremacy in one of Arizona’s top high school football rivalries.

The Huskies have been dominant all season, most recently cruising to a 63-0 victory over Cesar Chavez. Sophomore quarterback Jax Sculley tossed three touchdown passes, while fellow sophomore Jake Disanti added two more scoring strikes, and senior signal-caller Daniel Vaita also found the end zone through the air in the rout.

Chandler enters this clash riding a seven-game winning streak after last week’s 28-22 triumph over Pinnacle. Junior quarterback Will Mencl was the catalyst, throwing for 338 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for two scores. Sophomore running back David Douglas chipped in with a rushing touchdown of his own in the victory.

Opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT on Friday, November 7 with a live TV broadcast on NFHS Network.

• WATCH: Hamilton vs. Chandler football is livestreaming on NFHS Network

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How to watch Hamilton vs. Chandler football livestream

What: Hamilton and Chandler vie for Fiesta top spot in regular-season finale

When: Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT on Friday, November 7

Where: Chandler High School | Chandler, Arizona

Watch live: Watch Hamilton vs. Chandler live on the NFHS Network

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Arizona

Diné man who ran from Arizona to Santa Fe reflects on the Long Walk

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1 day ago

November 6, 2025

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Diné man who ran from Arizona to Santa Fe reflects on the Long Walk

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Arizona

How to spot November’s supermoon, the closest of the year, from Arizona

Published

2 days ago

November 5, 2025

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How to spot November’s supermoon, the closest of the year, from Arizona

PHOENIX (AP/AZFamily) — The moon will look slightly bigger and brighter Wednesday during the closest supermoon of the year, which can be seen from Arizona!

The moon’s orbit around the Earth isn’t a perfect circle, so it gets nearer and farther as it swings around. A so-called supermoon happens when a full moon is closer to Earth in its orbit. That makes the moon look up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than the faintest moon of the year, according to NASA.

November’s supermoon is the second of three supermoons this year and also the closest: The moon will come within just under 222,000 miles of Earth.

Tides may be slightly higher during a supermoon because the moon is closer to Earth, said astronomer Lawrence Wasserman with Lowell Observatory. But the difference isn’t very noticeable.

No special equipment is needed to view the supermoon if clear skies permit. But the change in the moon’s size can be tough to discern with the naked eye.

“The difference is most obvious as a comparison between other images or observations,” said Shannon Schmoll, director of Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University, in an email.

Supermoons happen a few times a year. One in October made the moon look somewhat larger, and another in December will be the last of the year.

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