Arizona Diamondbacks offense outlasts Texas Rangers in 12-7 win; Seth Beer DFA'd

Diamondbacks offense outlasts Rangers in 12-7 win

ARLINGTON, Texas — Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo noticed a trend on his trips to the mound on Wednesday afternoon: Things might not have been going well, but his players kept talking about how they were going to win the game. They talked about sticking with it and eventually breaking through.

It turned out that was exactly how their 12-7 win over the Texas Rangers unfolded at Globe Life Field.

“When one of your teammates needs you to pick them up, it almost makes you want to do it more,” Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker said. “On those mound visits, we were talking about, ‘We’ll get those runs back, no problem.’ That’s the kind of mentality that allows stuff like that to happen.”

Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt’s major league debut did not go according to plan on Wednesday — nor, admittedly, did Lovullo’s handling of his rookie starter — but the Diamondbacks clawed back to secure a win and a split in what was an abbreviated two-game set.

Walker slammed a pair of home runs, giving him three in two days here and four in five games on the road trip. The Diamondbacks banged out 10 hits and drew seven walks, taking advantage of an erratic Rangers bullpen, namely reliever Jose Leclerc, to rally for five runs in the seventh inning.

“I think we impacted the ball when we needed to, but it was us being patient, drawing walks and having runners on base and continuing to put pressure on the pitcher,” Lovullo said. “We eventually broke him.”

Pfaadt became the 10th pitcher in baseball history to give up four home runs in his debut. He watched a promising afternoon get away from him in a five-run Rangers fifth inning in which he allowed a 6-2 lead to become a 7-6 deficit.

That said, his manager also issued a mea culpa about not going to his bullpen sooner.

“Maybe I left him out there an at-bat too long,” Lovullo said. “I was trying to get him through five. I knew we were a little short in the bullpen. I can give you every excuse that’s a reason why I did it. I shouldn’t have. But aside from probably the last batter or two, I thought he did a good job.”

Pfaadt’s propensity for giving up home runs in the minors was perhaps the only part of his prospect profile that raised red flags — and it reared its ugly head in a big way on Wednesday. All four bombs he allowed — two to Josh Jung and one each to Jonah Heim and Leody Taveras — came on pitches that caught large portions of the plate.

“I think it was more location than selection,” Pfaadt said. “I think they were just too middle. I got too impatient and threw it over the middle of the plate.”

Jung’s second home run capped the Rangers’ five-run fifth. It came with two outs in the inning and Lovullo trying to get his rookie starter through five innings. Lovullo said he would have liked Pfaadt to have qualified for the win, but he said his thinking was more about the quality of contact the right-hander had allowed in the inning, namely a bloop double by Travis Jankowski and a relatively soft liner by Nathaniel Lowe that went for a single when it deflected off second baseman Ketel Marte’s glove.

“I felt like if we could have made the play (on Lowe) it would have been a totally different outcome,” Lovullo said. “I felt like he (Pfaadt) deserved the opportunity based on how he was pitching to go out and get that win. At the end of it, he (Jung) hits a two-run home run and there goes the lead and, obviously, you’re second-guessing yourself.”

Pfaadt has a huge gathering of family and friends in attendance, a group that gathered on the field in front of the dugout a half-hour after the game to pose for photos. Most of them came from his home state of Kentucky.

“It meant a ton (to have them there),” Pfaadt said. “A lot of people along the way to this moment. It was just awesome to have 30 people show up in Texas. It’s not a drive away; it’s a flight away. It means a lot.”

Short hops

—Outfielder Corbin Carroll pinch-hit in the seventh and had two at-bats in the inning, singling to start the five-run rally and striking out to end it. It was his first game action since hurting his left knee crashing into the fence in Colorado on Saturday; he came out of the day fine and is a possibility to start on Friday, Lovullo said.

—Right-hander Zach Davies (left oblique strain) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session on Monday, Lovullo said, and is expected to throw another mound session on Friday.

—Outfielder Kyle Lewis, who has been on the injured list since early April with an undisclosed illness, took four at-bats in an extended spring training game, Lovullo said. “He just hit -- didn’t run,” Lovullo said.

Diamondbacks designate slugger Seth Beer for assignment

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Diamondbacks designated slugger Seth Beer for assignment on Wednesday, a move that potentially cuts ties with one of the players the team received as part of the Zack Greinke trade.

Beer has not hit well since undergoing shoulder surgery late in the 2021 season. He was hitting .200/.266/.314 with two homers in Triple-A Reno, where he had six walks and 23 strikeouts.

Beer came to the Diamondbacks from the Houston Astros in the July 2019 trade for Greinke. The Diamondbacks also acquired infielder Josh Rojas and right-handers Corbin Martin and J.B. Bukauskas, who is no longer with the organization.

Prior to the trade, Beer had done nothing but hit throughout his college and professional career. At the time of the deal, Beer was hitting .309/.410/.564 with 25 homers split between High-A and Double-A.

He continued to hit in Reno before earning a September call-up in 2021. He homered in his first at-bat in the majors, and hit well over the next couple of days before suffering a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery.

He struggled in both Reno and the majors last year, issues that stretched into this season.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, the club’s top pitching prospect who is scheduled to make his major league debut on Wednesday vs. the Texas Rangers.

Right-hander Peter Solomon was optioned to Triple-A Reno to make room for Pfaadt on the active roster. That brings the Diamondbacks down to seven relievers, something the club is comfortable with for the time being, manager Torey Lovullo said, adding that the team likely will get back to eight relievers soon.

Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll sitting again but return appears imminent

ARLINGTON, Texas — Outfielder Corbin Carroll was out of the lineup for a third consecutive game on Wednesday, but the Diamondbacks’ rookie appears to be nearing a return to the field in some capacity.

With trainers and coaches watching, Carroll ran in the outfield on Wednesday morning. If it were a test, it sounded as if he passed.

“The medical team said that everything checked out just fine,” Lovullo said. “He should be available off the bench today. That’s just the natural progression. There were a few more boxes we wanted to check to make sure that he was going to be OK if he was thrust into a certain situation.”

Lovullo said that if he were to use Carroll he likely would not want him to play, say, five full innings. He wants his return to action, at least at this point, to be more gradual.

“We want it to be a nice progression to get back into playing every day,” Lovullo said.

Lovullo said he is hoping Carroll will be back in the starting lineup on Friday, when the club begins a weekend series with the Washington Nationals.

Wednesday's Diamondbacks-Rangers pitching matchup

RHP Brandon Pfaadt (2-1, 3.91)* vs. LHP Andrew Heaney (2-2, 4.38)

Pfaadt will be making his major-league debut. He is the highest-ranked pitching prospect in the organization and is ranked No. 23 on Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects list. … He throws a lively fastball in the 93-94 mph range that has both rise and cutting action as well as a slider that is a true swing-and-miss offering. He also has a change-up and curveball. … He gave up five runs in 3 2/3 innings in his first outing of the year in Triple-A Reno but has posted a 2.49 ERA in four starts since. … Heaney gave up three runs in six innings against the Yankees in his most recent start. … Heaney gave up seven runs in 2 2/3 innings in his first start of the year but has posted a 2.05 ERA in four starts since. … Heaney throws a fastball in the 92 mph range along with a slider and change-up. … He is a 10-year veteran but this will be his first career regular-season start against the Diamondbacks.

*Stats from Triple-A Reno.

Tuesday recap: D-Backs fall to Rangers, but get good news on Corbin Carroll

Coming up

Thursday: Off.

Friday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (2-3, 3.06) vs. Nationals RHP Josiah Gray (2-4, 2.67).

Saturday: At Chase Field, 5:10 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Tommy Henry (1-0, 6.52) vs. Nationals LHP MacKenzie Gore (3-2, 3.77).

Sunday: At Chase Field, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (1-2, 6.39) vs. Nationals RHP Trevor Williams (1-1, 3.41).

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks beat Rangers 12-7 despite tough debut for Brandon Pfaadt