Chicago Cubs right-hander Clay Holmes will make his second start this season in Phoenix on Tuesday, about three weeks later than the Arizona Diamondbacks had hoped.
The Diamondbacks had a deal in place to acquire Holmes from the New York Mets at the trade deadline, according to multiple reports. The Mets, however, reportedly backed out when they had issues with the medicals on one of the Arizona prospects to be included.
When the trade could not be reworked, the Mets sent Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor to the Cubs in exchange for prospect Jefferson Rojas.
“We offered a lot, so all the way to the top of our farm system,” Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said of trade talks. “I had to draw the line on the major league team on some level on some of those asks.”
Holmes (5-6, 2.49 ERA) will oppose Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (7-1, 3.39) in the second contest of a three-game series that matches pitchers in top form.
The Cubs recorded a 7-0 win in the series opener on Monday, marking the Diamondbacks’ ninth shutout loss of the season. Arizona is 3-4 without injured second baseman Ketel Marte.
“We have to check off the game and come out tomorrow,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said.
Holmes, who lost a 2-1 pitcher’s duel to Arizona’s Merrill Kelly in Phoenix on May 9, will make his fourth start for the Cubs. He missed almost three months with the Mets while recovering from a fractured right fibula suffered when he was struck by a comebacker on May 15.
After scuffling in a 6-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals in his first game with the Cubs on Aug. 8, Holmes has hit his stride.
Holmes threw 6 2/3 shutout innings in a 3-0 victory over St. Louis in his Wrigley Field debut Aug. 14 and gave up one run in 5 1/3 innings of a 3-0 home loss to the Chicago White Sox his last time out.
“Hopefully we’ll make a deep run in the postseason,” he said.
The Cubs have won two in a row after a three-game losing streak and gained a game on Philadelphia in the race for the top wild-card spot in the National League when the Phillies lost Monday,
Holmes is 1-1 with a 4.97 ERA against the Diamondbacks in six career appearances (one start).
Pfaadt had his streak of 32 2/3 innings without an earned run was broken in his most recent start, when he gave up five runs and three homers in 5 2/3 innings to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. The Diamondbacks rallied for a 7-6, 10-inning victory in that contest to break a three-game losing streak.
Pfaadt has been at the top of his game since being recalled from Triple-A Reno on June 30. He is 7-0 with a 1.80 ERA since his recall, with 38 strikeouts and seven walks. The homers by the Red Sox are the only three he has allowed in the past nine outings (55 innings).
The option to Reno in early June helped trigger the resurgence, Pfaadt said in a television interview.
“When I was in the (Diamondbacks’) bullpen, we weren’t able to work on everything just because I had to be ready for that night,” said Pfaadt, who was taken out of rotation in mid-April.
“I feel like ever since we started building back up, we’ve been blessed to work on each individual pitch. And I feel like right now they are in a great spot.”
Pfaadt throws six pitches — three types of fastballs, slider, curve and changeup — and uses his off-speed offerings about 45% of the time, according to FanGraphs.
He is 1-2 with a 2.94 ERA in six career appearances (four starts) against the Cubs.
–Field Level Media
