107 Pitches, 5 Scoreless Innings: Walbert Urena's Wild Ride Is a Problem for the Diamondbacks

Alright, Seattle On Tap fam, buckle up! We gotta talk about something wild happening down south. Rookie Walbert Urena, the Angels' 22-year-old righty, is on an absolute tear, riding a five-start hot streak straight into Phoenix tonight. He's trying to right the ship for the Angels after their four-game win streak got snapped by an 8-3 loss to the Rays on Sunday. This kid is electric, and the D-backs are gonna get a first-hand look at why.

Urena's Command? Optional. His Desire? Untouchable.

Since May 18, Urena has been pure fire, rocking a 3-0 record with a ridiculous 1.61 ERA over 28 innings. He's punched out 29 batters in that span, only allowing more than one run once. His season line is a sweet 4-4 with a 2.44 ERA, and he just came off a monster outing against the Astros last Tuesday. Five scoreless innings in a 10-1 win, only three hits allowed, and seven strikeouts! Sounds perfect, right? Well, his manager, Kurt Suzuki, spilled the beans, saying, "He was competing out there tonight... Obviously he didn't have his best command, but just his desire to get through that game is what pulled him through. You can't teach that." Urena even admitted, "I warmed up good. I felt really good. I don't know what changed in the game. I may look it up, but that was a lot of pitches." He threw a career-high 107 pitches to get through those five frames, matching his career-high with five walks. It was "fun to watch... but it was stressful to watch, too," according to Suzuki. That's a rookie doing whatever it takes to win, even when he's grinding.

Diamondbacks' Nelson Needs a Reset, Angels Hold Their Breath on Meckler

While Urena is bringing the heat, the Diamondbacks are sending Ryne Nelson to the mound, and he's been in a bit of a slump. The 28-year-old righty is 0-2 with a 7.16 ERA in his last three starts. His last time out against Miami was brutal: seven runs on eight hits, one walk, and two hit batters in just four innings during an 8-0 loss. Nelson knows it, too. He said he "Gave up some hits and then left some balls over the plate with runners. Just wasn't getting ahead of guys good enough." He's trying to stick to his "Same process, good, bad or indifferent. Just learn from it and try to make the adjustments to be better" mantra. For the Angels, they might be without left fielder Wade Meckler, who came out of Sunday's game in the fifth inning after hitting his head on the outfield fence. Suzuki said it was precautionary, so we'll have to see if he's cleared to go. The D-backs, on the other hand, just snagged a 5-3 win over the Reds and their manager, Torey Lovullo, is chasing his 701st career win. So, tonight we've got a hot-shot rookie battling his command but finding ways to win, against a veteran trying to snap a slump. It's a classic baseball showdown, and Urena's desire could be the difference maker. Let's see if he can keep that streak alive!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.