Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly listed Taj Bradley as the bulk pitcher for Tampa Bay. This has been corrected to show Tyler Alexander as the expected bulk pitcher.

The Arizona Diamondbacks came to Tampa Bay on a six-game winning streak and had won nine straight series since July 12. All of that came to an abrupt end with a walkoff loss on Friday night and a 6-1 loss to the Rays on Saturday.

Sunday morning at 10:40 a.m. MST, 1:40 p.m. EST, they will try to salvage the series finale with Merrill Kelly on the mound. This will be Kelly’s second start since coming off the injured list due to a shoulder strain.

In his last outing, Kelly threw five innings and allowed two runs against the Phillies in a 12-5 win. He threw 85 pitches in that outing and should have the green light to increase to 95 pitches on Sunday.

The Rays will start with Drew Rasmussen as the opener, ahead of expected bulk pitcher and left-hander Tyler Alexander. Rasmussen was one of the best starters in the American League in 2022 and through the first six weeks of 2023, going 15-9 with a 2.78 ERA in 36 starts.

An elbow injury required him to undergo season-ending internal splinting of the ulnar collateral ligament in July of last year. Since returning on August 7 of this season, he has worked out of the bullpen twice and opened for one inning once before that. That didn’t go well, as he allowed three runs on four hits in the first inning of a 7-5 Rays loss to the Orioles on August 10.

Alexander has pitched in 15 games for Tampa this year, posting a 5.20 ERA and a 4.95 ERA in 71 innings.

The D-backs will be without MVP candidate Ketel Marte in the lineup. After missing three games with a sprained ankle, Marte was in the lineup as the DH on Saturday, hitting a single and walking one in five attempts at the plate.

According to Brian Murphy of MLB.com, Torey Lovullo said Marte will have a scheduled day off and is expected to play tomorrow against the Marlins.

The other notable absentee is Joc Pederson. Since left-hander Alexander will be throwing most of the innings today, Randal Grichuk is in as DH. Pederson is celebrating his tenth anniversary of service today.

This story will be updated after we hear from Torey Lovullo on the status of these two players.