Diamondbacks Spring Training Gameday Thread, WBC, vs. Team Mexico

By Jim McLennan on Mar 5 2013, 8:23p 

2 hrs Salt River Fields is getting ready for #Dbacks vs Mexico. - @SteveGilbertMLB

A bit of extra-curricular activity tonight which, one imagines will not count towards the Cactus League standings or statistics, so I'm not giving it a number either. This one is on Fox Sports Arizona and the MLB Network, and features our new TV duo of Berthiaume and Brenly, so should be fun!

Yes, for those outside the Arizona area, this will be your first chance to see the 2013 Diamondbacks live, as the game is being televised nationwide [the previous Cactus League game was on a headache-inducing tape delay, not least because it was a split-squad day too, so we had, effectively, three games being discussed simultaneously!] It's also the Diamondbacks' first evening game of the year, and it looks like a very pleasant evening over at Salt River Field, so I think there may well be a decent crowd for the event. The Diamondbacks line-up still lacks Cody Ross, who is expected be out for 2-3 weeks, with his leg issue. Here's who is playing::

1. Adam Eaton CF
   
2. Cliff Pennington SS
   
3. Paul Goldschmidt 1B
   
4. Jason Kubel LF
   
5. Eric Chavez DH
   
6. Matt Davidson 3B
   
7. A.J. Pollock RF
   
8. Wil Nieves C
   
9. John McDonald 2B
   + pitchers Ian Kennedy, Tyler Skaggs, Charles Brewer, J.J Putz, Bo Schultz and Brad Ziegler 

The scheduled starter for Team Mexico is Yovanni Gallardo, which makes this a rematch of the 2011 National League Divisoin Series. However, he's not expected to pitch more than about an inning this evening, as he's just making sure he's 100% recovered from a groin strain. Assuming all is well, he'll then start against the United States on Friday.