This only adds to the question of what is the team to do with their veteran lefty once he is ready to return from the IL
Game Recaps
Ryne Nelson provides another strong start as Diamondbacks shut out Pirates by Nick Piecoro and José M. Ramiro [AZ Central]
Summoned after the Pirates loaded the bases on reliever Scott McGough via an error and two walks, Martinez proceeded to retire each of the three batters he faced, striking out Bryan Reynolds, inducing a pop out from Spencer Horwitz and getting Joey Bart to bounce into a fielder’s choice.
It looked more like a vintage Martinez performance than his first outing off the injured list over the weekend in St. Louis. He averaged 99.9 mph with his fastball and topped out at 102.1 mph.
Ryne Nelson shuts down Pirates as pressure to keep him in rotation should be mounting by Alex Weiner [Arizona Sports]
Nelson allowed four hits with no walks, striking out four batters as he consistently pounded the strike zone for quick outs. He threw 59 strikes out of 84 pitches, setting his season high for pitch count.
Dating back to July 2024, Nelson has made 15 starts with a 2.98 ERA as a starter.
Diamondbacks News
How Much Control Does Torey Lovullo Have Over Diamondbacks? by Alex D’Agostino [SI]
“If there are some additions and things that are taking place, I don’t have anything to do with the transactions. I get asked questions every once in a while, but whatever Mike [Hazen] and company do, I firmly trust. And they have done some really good things.
“Without Paul Sewald two years ago, we don’t do what we did and advance to the the World Series. So I don’t know if they have anything up their sleeve, I’m not sure. But what we have here is a very good group that could pitch better. And I feel like we’re underachieving in a lot of different areas, not just the bullpen,” Lovullo continued.
Hazen holds court on all things Diamondbacks by Steve Gilbert [Dbacks.com]
On the team’s play of late: “Felt like we had the ability to win every one of those games, and we just came up on the short end of those. It’s hard to just pin it down onto any one thing. So I still feel the same way about the team that I did five days ago. And [if] a couple balls go in a different direction, we’re feeling a little differently about that road trip. But the fact is, we still need to make our own breaks, we still need to make our own luck, and we need to perform more consistently in certain areas.”
Ryne Nelson’s Time in the Diamondbacks Rotation Could Be Short by Jack Sommers [SI]
It wasn’t totally clear if the plan was for Rodriguez to come off the Injured List when eligible on May 31, or sometime soon after that. Lovullo was non-committal on both Rodríguez’s exact return date and Nelson’s status in the rotation.
“Nelly’s going to be our starting pitcher and not going to miss this turn, I’ll go ahead and tell you that,” Lovullo said. “But after that, we have some decisions to make and we’ll figure this out. We’ve got to keep getting E-Rod healthy and when he’s healthy, we’ll start to make those types of decisions.”
Around the League
Petco Park keeper has strong bee game during pregame by AJ Cassavell [MLB] {Ed. Note: Sounds familiar}
There was no delay to any of the proceedings for the game. But, hey, it wouldn’t have been the first time it’s happened.
Six years ago, another game between the Marlins and Padres at Petco Park was delayed 28 minutes by a swarm of bees. In fact, in the ballpark’s 22-season existence, there have been a total of 10 delays — eight due to rain and two due to bees. In 2009, the Padres and Astros had a game delayed by a swarm of bees.
Christian Walker Hasn’t Fixed the Astros’ First Base Problem by Jay Jaffe [FanGraphs] {Ed. Note: From a couple days ago, but don’t think was posted on previous Snake Bytes}
When the Astros signed Christian Walker to a three-year, $60 million deal in December, it felt like a reasonable solution to a longstanding problem. The Astros have rarely gotten good production from their first basemen in the past decade, and while Walker hasn’t quite been All-Star caliber, in recent years he’s generally provided solid offense with exceptional defense for the position. So far this season, he’s struggled mightily, which unfortunately for the Astros has come at a time when other key players have also failed to hit, and the rotation has weathered numerous injuries as well.
Poll: Can The Cardinals Keep This Up? by Nick Deeds [MLB Trade Rumors]
When looking at the eight teams that have won 30+ games entering Memorial Day, it’s hard to deny that the Cardinals are the most surprising. As previously mentioned, they made virtually no additions this winter as they signed Phil Maton late in the offseason but otherwise stood pat while players like Paul Goldschmidt and Kyle Gibson departed the organization. Perhaps even more surprising is the fact that players who appeared likely to be a big part of any success the Cardinals may have had this year, like youngsters Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman, are struggling badly. Willson Contreraswas a standout at the plate last year but has been merely league average this season and is currently day-to-day with a back injury, while Nolan Arenado is hitting at a below-average clip after the Cards failed to trade him this winter. Even on-paper ace Sonny Gray has a middling 4.06 ERA through 11 starts, and closer Ryan Helsley’s 3.50 ERA is his weakest since 2021.
Memorial Day MLB standings check [ESPN]
What’s the first thing that jumps out to you when you look at the standings?
Schoenfield: The Rockies are so bad, they make the 2024 Chicago White Soxlook like the 1998 New York Yankees. They’re like the ending to “Game of Thrones.” Like Shaquille O’Neal shooting free throws. To be fair, though, they’re better than the 1899 Cleveland Spiders — who hold the worst single-season record in MLB history, finishing at 20-134.