CINCINNATI -- While the D-backs are uncertain about who will start Monday's game, they know that they would like for it not to be Patrick Corbin.
In an effort to give Corbin an extra day of rest, manager Chip Hale said he and general manager Dave Stewart intend to promote someone from Triple-A Reno to make that start.
"I'm hoping to have a starter Monday," Hale said. "I'd like to give Patrick another day, which would give him an extra day to go Tuesday, because he could conceivably throw Monday. But I know Stew, we're going to talk about it, about trying to get somebody here Monday to pitch instead of having him get in the extra day."
The likely candidates to pitch, then, are Edwin Escobar, Matt Buschmann, Anthony Banda, Braden Shipley and Shelby Miller. Of those five, Miller and Escobar are on the 40-man roster. Hale said that the candidate also "could be" someone who is not already on the 40-man roster, although that would require Arizona to open a space.
Of the five, Shipley leads with a 3.70 ERA and has a team-high 119 1/3 innings pitched.
Worth noting
• Zack Greinke threw Wednesday morning and is expected to throw another side session Saturday morning. If that goes well, he could progress to throwing a simulated game. Greinke has been on the disabled list since July 3 with a left oblique strain.
"He's going to get up and throw a side, I think it was Saturday," Hale said. "Full bore, regular side and see how he feels and evaluate whether it's another side after that, simulated game, something like that."
• Chris Owings' day off for Reno on Thursday was just a normal day off. Owings, as well as teammate David Peralta, are both on the back end of their rehab assignments in Reno.
"They'll play again today," Hale said. "I know they both are feeling good, just getting some more at-bats. It has not been a problem with either team. Chris has played two games at short now, so he's feeling good at that. It's just a real positive."