Published February 05, 2015
Diamondbacks left-hander Andrew Chafin will make his major league debut in his home state.
Chafin, from suburban Dayton, will start the first game of a traditional doubleheader Wednesday against the Cleveland Indians at 4:05 p.m.
The teams sat through a rain delay of 3 hours, 40 minutes on Tuesday night before their interleague game was postponed. The Indians led Arizona 1-0 in the fourth inning when the skies opened, forcing a twinbill to be scheduled with Chafin on the mound.
"I just can't believe it," the 24-year-old hurler said. "You couldn't have planned it out more perfectly. Given the chance to possibly debut in Cleveland, who would have thought? What are the chances of these two events meeting up, just after I get called up?"
The Diamondbacks recalled Chafin from Triple-A Reno on Aug. 8, but he didn't pitch during their three-game series against Colorado. Manager Kirk Gibson said he planned on having him work out of the bullpen in Cleveland, but the weather forced him to change plans.
Chafin expects to have more than 50 family members and friends at Progressive Field. He attended Collins Western Reserve High School in Northern Ohio, then played collegiately at Kent State, which is located 40 miles south of Cleveland.
"We told Andrew to be ready for when we needed him," Gibson said, chuckling. "Now, he needs to go out and throw a gem to make it a real good time in Ohio."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Diamondbacks: SS Chris Owings (left shoulder strain) is scheduled to take live batting practice Sunday against LHP Matt Reynolds (left elbow) at the team's training facility in Scottsdale, Az. Owings has been on the 15-day disabled list since June 26, while Reynolds is on the 60-day DL after undergoing Tommy John surgery last Sept. 24.
Indians: DH Nick Swisher could be facing surgery on his right knee. He was examined by a team physician Monday and is getting a second opinion before a decision is reached. ... OF David Murphy will miss four to five weeks with a strained right oblique muscle.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks: LHP Vidal Nuno (0-3), drafted in the 48th round by the Indians in 2009, starts for Arizona in game two.
Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer (4-7) made his big league debut with Arizona in 2012, going 1-2 with 6.06 ERA in four starts before being dealt to Cleveland in a three-team trade following the season. RHP Josh Tomlin (5-8) will start game two.
NO HARD FEELINGS
Diamondbacks C Miguel Montero and Bauer disagreed on pitch selection at times as teammates in Arizona two years ago. Montero now believes both could have handled the situation better. "He felt like I wasn't calling the right game for him, which was probably the case because I'm not perfect," Montero said. "We all knew he had the potential to be a very good pitcher."
STILL PENDING
The Diamondbacks are planning on promoting a hitter as their 26th-man for the doubleheader, but Gibson wasn't certain who it would be. Travel arrangements also could pose a problem as Reno is playing in Round Rock, Texas. "We'll see if we can even get anybody here in time," he said. "It would be nice to have an extra bat, though."
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/lhp-andrew-chafin-to-start-in-doubleheader-after-tuesdays-game-postponed