New month, new D-backs?
Ryne Nelson getting twenty outs last night was very welcome for the bullpen, giving the bulk of the arms down there a night off. It’d be helpful if the offense can step up, and give Arizona a big enough lead they don’t need to lean on the A-arms. Hayden Birdson isn’t likely to go deep – over his last four starts combined, only once has he recorded more than 13 outs. But that isn’t necessarily a good thing, considering the Giants’ bullpen is the only one in the majors with an ERA below three. Of course, that stands in sharp contrast to the struggles of the Arizona bullpe, who we want to avoid as far as possible. On the other hand: Zac Gallen, whose ERA has gone up each of the past four starts – and it started above five.
Over the past 365 days, no player in the majors has driven in more runs than Geno Suarez’s 138. That’s the same number as Aaron Judge, who has played in a dozen more games than Suarez. Eugenio is also one of only four players to have hit fifty home-runs in the past year, alongside Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Cal Raleigh. S’funny, you hear an AWFUL lot more about the other three, don’t you? I also note, just outside the top ten (#12, to be precise) is Josh Naylor, and I’m delighted to see him back in the line-up tonight, even if it’s as the designated hitter. Hopefully the neck/back problems which have sidelined him of late have been fully addressed, and he doesn’t end up being yanked mid-game, like on Friday.
Goddammit, he didn’t even make it to first pitch, getting replaced by Randal Grichuk in the DH spot, after Naylor was a late scratch. But there is some good news regarding the fan who reached over the wall during the game – and, as Dbacks Dispatch found out, has a long history of similar incidents? The team issued this statement: “We have terminated his Advantage Member account and he is prohibited from returning to Chase Field for the remainder of 2025. This fan will have the opportunity to return to Chase Field in 2026 so long as he meets certain terms and abides by our Fan Code of Conduct.” He was on the radio this morning and said he was inspired by Zack Hample. Enough said.