Diamondbacks' Ryne Nelson: Refining slider in minors

Nelson has worked to improve his slider during his time in the minors, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Nelson's slider has shown progress over his last few starts at Triple-A Reno, with Arizona pitching coach Brent Strom noting that the right-hander is "locating it more" and "hasn't made as many mistakes with it." Nelson has made four starts for Reno since his demotion in mid-August, pitching to a respectable 3.74 ERA. He had been part of the Diamondbacks rotation for the first four-and-a-half months of the season, posting a 5.74 ERA in 24 starts. Despite a mid-90s fastball, Nelson struggled to miss bats, and the organization is hoping an improved slider will help. If the club reaches down to the minors for a starter Thursday, Nelson, whose last outing was Sept. 2, is the most likely candidate to fill the opening. Arizona needs a starter after it demoted Slade Cecconi on Sunday.