Ryne Nelson takes ball for Diamondbacks in game 2 against Orioles

Saturday’s Diamondbacks-Orioles pitching matchup

Diamondbacks at Orioles, 1:05 p.m., Cox Ch. 34

Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (2-2, 5.23) vs. Orioles LHP John Means (1-0, 0.00).

Nelson returned from a brief trip to the injured list last week against the Padres and allowed four runs in five innings. He struck out three and walked one as the Arizona Diamondbacks offense helped carry him to a win. … Prior to the elbow contusion that landed him on the injured list, Nelson had a string of encouraging outings with a reliance on his cutter. He said after the Padres win that his stuff felt as sharp as it did before the injury. … Nelson has found much of his success against teams that struggle to hit four-seam fastballs. Despite their overall offensive prowess, the Orioles rank in the bottom 10 teams in the quality of their contact against four-seam fastballs. … Means made his first appearance of the season last week against the Reds after missing the start of the year with a forearm strain. He delivered seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out eight. … Means has made just seven appearances over the past three seasons due to injuries, namely the Tommy John surgery that he underwent in 2022.

Sunday’s Diamondbacks-Orioles pitching matchup

Diamondbacks at Orioles, 10:35 a.m., Cox Ch. 34

Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (4-2, 2.84) vs. Orioles RHP Dean Kremer (3-2, 3.57).

Gallen was excellent in his most recent outing, holding the Reds to one hit in six scoreless innings. He also struck out six, while walking three. … Gallen has not yet had one of his trademark dominant performances, in which he racks up strikeouts and pitches into the late innings with a shutout. But he has still been a strong presence atop the rotation, outside of one start that he missed due to the lingering effects of hamstring tightness. … Gallen never has pitched at Camden Yards, one of just four ballparks at which that’s the case. … Outside of one poor outing in April, Kremer has pitched well this season. He has a 2.63 ERA in his last four starts. … Kremer was traded to the Orioles as part of the Manny Machado deal in 2018. He debuted in 2020. … Kremer makes heavy use of his four-seam fastball and cutter. He also has a splitter, sinker and curveball, with the splitter missing more bats than the rest of his offerings.

Coming up

Monday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Jordan Montgomery (2-2, 4.70) vs. Reds RHP Graham Ashcraft (3-2, 3.86).

Tuesday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Slade Cecconi (1-2, 4.15) vs. Reds RHP Hunter Greene (1-2, 3.38).

Wednesday: At Chase Field, 12:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (1-3, 4.60) vs. Reds LHP Andrew Abbott (2-4, 3.35).

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ryne Nelson on the bump for Arizona Diamondbacks in game 2 at Orioles