Naylor’s walk-off granny saved last night from being the nadir of an already brutal season, but in the aftermath of the victory, two more relievers are headed for MRIs
Game Recaps
First, the silver lining…
…then the storm clouds.
‘It’s really painful’: Arizona Diamondbacks walk-off slam tempered by Justin Martinez news by Nick Piecoro [AZCentral]
Asked to protect a 4-0 lead, Martinez struck out the first two batters in the ninth before issuing a walk to Dylan Moore. After two pitches to the next batter, Donovan Solano, Martinez waved for a trainer.
“I was starting to feel my elbow getting tight on the last few pitches,” Martinez said. “When I threw the last pitch, I felt like something wasn’t right and I called the trainers.”
Martinez, Montes de Oca both to get MRIs by Steve Gilbert [DBacks.com]
In the process, the Diamondbacks used every pitcher they had available. The only reliever not to pitch in the game was Christian Montes De Oca, who reported having elbow discomfort before the game and is also set to have an MRI taken Tuesday.
Diamondbacks News
Hazen hopeful D-backs can work way back to being Deadline buyers by Steve Gilbert [DBacks.com]
“We’re starting to get some calls,” Hazen said. “It happens when you play this way. When you’re sitting in the standings where we are, it’s inevitable, you’re going to start receiving phone calls about your players. We have a lot of good players, so I’d imagine we would get a lot of phone calls. It’s not something necessarily that we want to be tackling right now, but it’s not stopping anybody from calling you to ask where you’re at. I don’t know that they’re just doing it to us, but, you know, if we were 15 games over .500, they would be making the same phone call. It would just be a different tone and tenor of the phone call.”
Diamondbacks injuries: Corbin Burnes surgery date set, Cristian Mena to miss ‘weeks’ by Alex Weiner [Arizona Sports]
“At the same time, guys were bummed losing a guy that’s at the top of your rotation, one of the best pitchers in baseball. … Obviously that’s tough, but I think you saw a little glimpse in Atlanta, like, everybody’s gotta step up a little bit more and pull our weight a little bit more. Hopefully it can energize us a little bit more to get geared and see what happens.” [Zac Gallen quote]
Comparing the Diamondbacks bullpen from Opening Day to today by Kavish Siddhartha [Arizona Sports]
“If I were to sit before you and say that Kevin Ginkel would be in the minor leagues and Joe Mantiply would’ve been DFA’d on June 9, I would’ve said you’re crazy,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “That is just the nature of the game. It’s competitive, and if you don’t do your job, there are people that are ready to take your position.”
Kyle Backhus on His Unconventional Path to the Major Leagues by Michael McDermott [SI]
As an undrafted free agent signing at the age of 23, he faced a long road to the big leagues.
“I just felt like I had to be perfect with everything I did, being an undrafted free agent,” said Backhus. “In reality, I didn’t, I just had to be myself and pitch my game. Eventually, I made it here.”
Around the League
Spider-Man strikes AGAIN as Clarke scales wall for ridiculous robbery by Martín Gallegos [MLB]
How Worried Should We Be About Spencer Strider by Davy Andrews [FanGraphs]
It’s not the results. I mean, it’s not not the results. Nobody feels good about an 0-4 record or a 5.68 ERA. But while the top line numbers are reason enough to worry about Spencer Strider, changes to his delivery and pitch shapes point to deeper concerns. The 26-year-old right-hander has made just four starts this season, but it’s reasonable to ask whether he’ll ever regain the form that just two years ago made him one of the most dominant forces in the game.
Latest on Dodgers’ Rotation by Steve Adams [MLB Trade Rumors]
Right-hander Tony Gonsolin became the latest Dodgers pitcher to hit the injured list over the weekend, but an MRI to evaluate his ailing elbow showed that his surgically repaired ulnar collateral ligament is intact, writes Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. Manager Dave Roberts said there’s no timetable yet for Gonsolin to resume throwing. An exact diagnosis of his injury remains unclear.
2025 MLB All-Star roster predictions, biggest debates by David Schoenfield[ESPN]
Second base: Ketel Marte vs. Brendan Donovan vs. Brice Turang vs. Nico Hoerner
Can we shift a couple of these players to the AL? These four are bunched closely in WAR, although they got there in different ways. Marte, last year’s starter, is having another monster offensive season, but he missed a month because of a hamstring strain. Donovan is hitting over .300 with a bunch of doubles and adds flexibility by filling in at left field and shortstop. Turang and Hoerner are defensive wizards without much power but add enough offensive value by getting on base and stealing bases.
My vote goes to Marte. He’s the best player of the group, and only the injury holds him back in the debate. He’s hitting .294/.418/.603 with 12 home runs in 39 games and has more walks than strikeouts, ranking in the 90th-plus percentile in walk rate and lowest strikeout rate. What a fantastic player — often overlooked. Donovan makes it as the backup, while Turang and Hoerner draw the short straw and are left off my hypothetical team.
Question of the Day