Arizona Diamondbacks: Robbie Ray solid in first spring start

By Mark Brown |

Lefty Robbie Ray was efficient in his first start of the spring on Monday. (Jennifer Stewart Getty Images)

For his initial outing o the spring, Robbie Ray of the Arizona Diamondbacks wanted to address fastball command.

Despite the need to refine and perfect in spring training, lefty Robbie Ray of the Arizona Diamondbacks took a phrase of an old wedding manual.

In going against the Cincinnati Reds Monday afternoon in Goodyear, Ray took something old and something new through his initial start of the spring. Perhaps not as crisp as a mid-season outing, Ray, rising to the top of elite National League pitchers, did develop a comfort zone and ease of the moment.

Like Zack Greinke who took his first start of the spring Sunday, Ray told Call to the Pen he was not concerned with results nor pin-pointing pitches. Instead, the took a business-like approach and pointed out there was not a great sense of urgency at this point of the spring.

“Felt pretty good and came into the game to establish fastball command,” he said. “Felt I did a pretty good job of doing that. All of spring training is about feeling healthy and ready to go. The velocity is going to be there. It’s just a matter of going out and feeling healthy.”

Out of that wedding book, Ray took something old, and that would be his measured approach. Entering his fourth season with Arizona, Ray has enough experience at this point to understand the approach and methodology.

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If he is familiar with the routine and fundamental practice of the spring grind, he began working with new catcher Alex Avila, signed as a free agent just before the start of spring training. Here, in the beginning, Ray dismissed the notion of a complete adjustment to a new catcher. Rather, he pointed out that three catchers employed last season, Chris Iannetta, Jeff Mathis and Chris Herrmann all made contributions to his 15-5 season.

After throwing to Avail for the first time this spring, Ray told Call to the Pen that his new catcher represented no significant challenge.

“I felt I had a pretty good relationship with all of our catchers last year,” he said. “He’s sliding into a spot. I was comfortable with Iannetta last year. It was just our first game together but, like the way he caught the ball. We’re calling the game a little differently because we’re working on some stuff. We just stuck to the game plan and it worked out.”

If Ray thought things went well for his first start of the spring, the accolades from pitching coach Mike Butcher followed. Telling Call to the Pen afterward that Ray was efficient, Butcher went on to identify the primary goal of his initial appearance this spring.

“Robbie threw the ball very well, and we wanted to establish fastball command,” Butcher said. “I saw some really good things and like the way the ball was coming out of his hand. You can see how he’s building on the last two years and growing.”

In his two innings of work Monday, Ray allowed no hits, walked one and struck out three. Of the 32 pitches, 18 were strikes, and 14 missed the plate.

With Ray going Monday and Greinke the day before, there was a distinct pattern.

Manager Torey Lovullo appears to set up the top of the rotation as pundits believed. Taking opening day on Thursday, March 29 and then back-tracking every five days, this calendar puts Greinke to open the season in Chase Field against the Colorado Rockies and Ray to follow. Beyond the number one and two starters, an order for the remaining three will likely be determined based upon spring performances.

On the field …

The Diamondbacks took a pair Monday afternoon.

At Salt River, Paul Goldschmidt’s first homer of the spring powered a 7-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

At Goodyear, homers by Alex Avila, Jeremy Hazelbaker, and Kevin Cron lifted Arizona to a 5-2 win over the Reds. Cincinnati was held hitless for 4.1 innings until Scott Schebler’s single up the middle broke up the no-hitter.

Next: Greinke: first spring outing was ‘okay’

On Tuesday, the Diamondbacks take on the Giants in Scottsdale Stadium. Right-hander Taijuan Walker gets his first start of the spring, and Archie Bradley, Brad Boxberger, Jared Miller, Jake Barrett and Taylor Widener are expected to follow. Right-hander Jeff Samardzija gets the start of the Giants.

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