Dodgers send message in first spring training meeting with Diamondbacks
Play is underway in the Arizona Diamondbacks' 27th spring training and 14th based at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. The defending National League champions will play their first split-squad games of the spring on Saturday, when half the club goes to Surprise to play the Kansas City Royals, while the other half remains home at SRF to take on the Cincinnati Reds. The DBacks also will have their first day off of the Cactus League schedule on Wednesday. The week ends with the DBacks' first look at the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch on Sunday. All Diamondbacks home games start at 1:10 p.m., and tickets are available at dbacks.com/spring. The Diamondbacks' 2024 regular season opens on Thursday, March 28 at Chase Field against the Rockies starting at 7:10 p.m.
Dodgers 12, Diamondbacks 1
At Camelback Ranch, Sunday, March 10
At the plate: 3B Elvis Andrus played in his first game since signing a minor-league deal with the Diamondbacks last week, going 0 for 3 with two strikeouts. He played third base, a position he might need to back up if he can crack the roster. Andrus, 35, was drawn to the Diamondbacks after seeing them go on their postseason run last year, he said. “I can see myself in a lot of these guys, especially after coming out of the World Series and being young,” said Andrus, who played in two World Series by age 23. “I love the atmosphere. I played against them at the end of last year. It seemed like they were having a lot of fun. Everybody was super fast around the bases. It’s just a kind of team you want to be a part of.” The Diamondbacks managed just five hits and had just five at-bats with a runner in scoring position.
On the mound: RHP Brandon Pfaadt felt much better about his outing than his pitching line — 2 2/3 innings, four runs — would suggest. “Disregarding the results, (I felt) good,” Pfaadt said. “That’s the best my stuff has felt in three starts, so I’m pleased with that. I’d have liked the first inning to have gone a little different.” Pfaadt faced six batters in the first before departing with his pitch count at 27. He re-entered the game and retired each of the six batters he faced the next two innings. He said he did not throw his slider in the first inning — he wanted to keep the division-rival Dodgers from seeing it too much — but scrapped that idea out of frustration starting in the second inning.
Extra bases: PH Cole Roberts, the son of Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts, pinch-hit for the Diamondbacks in the ninth inning and grounded out. “I love those father-son moments,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. Cole Roberts, who exchanged lineup cards with his dad at home plate before the game, signed with the Diamondbacks as an undrafted free agent last year out of Loyola Marymount and played at the rookie-ball level.
Next game, Monday, March 11: Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson vs. Athletics RHP Joe Boyle, 1:10 p.m., Salt River Fields.
Reds 7, Diamondbacks (ss) 5
At Salt River Fields, Saturday, March 9
At the plate: 2B Ketel Marte had two more hits and grounded out on a ball he hit hard in his other at-bat. He is 13 for 24 (.542) in Cactus League games with three doubles and a triple. DH Blaze Alexander had two more hits, including a double off the left-center field wall. He is 12 for 29 (.414) with two doubles and two triples.
On the mound: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez turned in a crisp four-inning outing in which he gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits and no walks with four strikeouts. “I feel like today was 80 percent of what I normally am in the season,” Rodriguez said. “Location-wise, using all my pitches — I would say that was perfect outing for me in spring training. It was great.” He said the final 20 percent of progress will come in adding a couple ticks to his fastball, which averaged 91.7 mph and topped at 92.7 mph. “It’s not that much of a difference, just probably 1 or 2 more miles an hour,” he said. “But that will help me get a little more swing and miss with the fastball.” LHP Joe Mantiply gave up three hits, including a two-run homer, in an inning of work. His fastball velocity remains a couple of ticks down, sitting in the 87-88 mph range.
Extra bases: LF Joc Pederson misplayed a fly ball in the first inning that led to a run charged to Rodriguez. It was the third ball in the past week that Pederson has had trouble with as he tries to make his case for a bigger role beyond designated hitter duties. “I don’t want to defend the type of play that we’ve been seeing, but I will say that it’s going to get better,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “He’s been working his butt off. The things that are important to us have become very important to him. Whether it’s retraining or whatever, I know he’s going to get better.”
Royals 6, Diamondbacks (ss) 5
At Surprise Stadium, Saturday, March 9
At the plate: CF Alek Thomas had a hit in three at-bats, driving in a pair of runs with a bases-loaded single in the second inning. 3B Emmanuel Rivera was hitless in three at-bats. The Diamondbacks finished with just six hits.
On the mound: LHP Tommy Henry had a rough start, giving up five runs on 10 hits, including three homers, in 3⅔ innings. He allowed a pair of first-inning solo homers to C Salvador Perez and DH Vinnie Pasquantino, then gave up another solo shot to SS Bobby Witt Jr. in the fourth. The outing is a blow to Henry’s bid for the fifth starter’s job. LHP Andrew Saalfrank gave up a run in his inning of work.
Extra bases: SS Jace Pederson got the start at shortstop, his first time at the position this spring. The club is looking to see if he can handle the position well enough to serve as the backup.
Next game, Sunday, March 10: Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt vs. Dodgers RHP Gavin Stone, 1:05 p.m., Camelback Ranch.
Diamondbacks 7, Cubs 5
At Salt River Fields, Friday, March 8
On the mound: RHP Merrill Kelly cruised through his first Cactus League start of the year, retiring each of the six batters he faced with three strikeouts. He threw 21 pitches in the game, then threw another 14 pitches in the bullpen after exiting the game. He said if he had to nitpick, his one complaint on the day was his feel for his change-up. He thinks he has focused so much on getting a feel for his slider it has come at the expense of his change-up, which has been his best secondary pitch in recent years. “We’ll definitely put some emphasis on that moving forward,” Kelly said. “It should be fine.” RHP Kevin Ginkel, the club’s top setup man, made his first appearance, as well, giving up a solo homer and retiring the other three batters he faced. His fastball sat in its usual 94-96 mph range, a good sign for a pitcher whose spring debut was delayed by elbow soreness. “I feel like with my health, it feels good now,” Ginkel said. “Just getting a few days to ease into camp was nice. Now I need to play a little catch-up here, but I feel like come the season I’ll be ready to go, ready to rock.”
At the plate: DH Joc Pederson had two hits, including his first home run this spring, an opposite-field, two-run shot in the third off RHP Kyle Hendricks. LF Lourdes Gurriel had a scare when he was hit by a pitch on the left hand in the third inning, but he said later he is not hurt and should be available to return to the lineup on Saturday. The Diamondbacks scored four runs in the fourth inning thanks to five singles and an error; most of those came on balls hit up the middle or to the opposite field.
Extra bases: OF Randal Grichuk, who is building up after having offseason surgery to remove bone spurs from his ankle, faced live pitching for the first time but has yet to begin running the bases, manager Torey Lovullo said. Grichuk could progress to serving as a DH in Cactus League games sometime next week, Lovullo said. RHP Corbin Martin faced hitters in a live batting practice, sitting 95-97 mph with his fastball, per Lovullo. “His stuff was really good,” Lovullo said. “I liked what I saw and everybody else did, as well.”
Next game, Saturday, March 9: Diamondbacks (ss) LHP Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Reds LHP Andrew Abbott, 1:10 p.m., Salt River Fields; Diamondbacks (ss) LHP Tommy Henry vs. Royals RHP Michael Wacha, 1:05 p.m., Surprise Stadium.
Rangers 7, Diamondbacks 5
At Surprise Stadium, Thursday, March 7
At the plate: 1B Christian Walker made an uneventful return to the lineup after missing a week with a hand contusion sustained when he was hit by a pitch. “Great, no issues at all,” Walker said. “I’ve been good for a couple of days. Just while we have the time, to make sure the inflammation was out of there and everything was in order, we took an extra day or two.” Walker went 1 for 2 with a ground-ball double down the left-field line. Walker, CF Alek Thomas and C Gabriel Moreno exited in the fourth inning, a decision manager Torey Lovullo said had to do with the wet, rainy conditions. “It’s kind of boring for a fan once I start taking those guys out of the game,” Lovullo said, “but protecting the right guys at the right time, given the stadium conditions, made a lot of sense to me.”
On the mound: RHP Zac Gallen gave up two runs in the first before putting up a scoreless second inning. He departed after 36 pitches in what was his first outing of the spring. "I felt pretty good about where I was at today in terms of tempo, rhythm and stuff like that with my delivery," Gallen said. "Felt like my command was fairly solid for the first live action against another team." RHP Slade Cecconi followed and gave up three runs on five hits and a walk in 2 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three. RHP Ryan Thompson and LHP Kyle Nelson each threw scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Extra bases: RF Kristian Robinson nearly made a diving catch near the right-field line in the seventh but had the ball bounce out of his glove. ... The Diamondbacks reassigned seven players to minor league camp: right-handers Luke Albright, Dakota Chalmers, Francisco Morales and Chris Rodriguez; left-hander Brandon Hughes; infielder Tristin English and outfielder Kristian Robinson. ... Both RHP Merrill Kelly and RHP Kevin Ginkel are scheduled to pitch in their first Cactus League games on Friday, and Lovullo said RHP Corbin Martin is expected to get into his first game soon, as well.
Next game, Friday, March 8: Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly vs. Cubs RHP Kyle Hendricks, 1:10 p.m., Salt River Fields.
Diamondbacks 5, Padres 3
At Salt River Fields, Tuesday, March 5
On the mound: RHP Ryne Nelson allowed two runs on five hits in three innings, while only striking out two. The performance was a step back for Nelson, who struck out 10 batters in five innings across his first two spring training starts. He did not get a single and miss on his slider, which has been a focus for him during spring training. “I feel like the ability to throw the breaking ball was there, it was just a little inconsistent at times,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “We want more consistency.” RHP Justin Martinez worked a scoreless inning in relief, touching 100.3 mph with his sinker. Eleven of his 14 pitches were sliders, and he got four whiffs on six swings with the pitch. RHP Miguel Castro allowed one run on two hits in his inning of work. The rest of the Diamondbacks relievers worked scoreless frames: RHP Paul Sewald, LHP Joe Mantiply, RHP Scott McGough and LHP Andrew Saalfrank.
At the plate: 3B Eugenio Suarez hit a 422-foot home run to left field in the third inning, marking his return after missing a week with discomfort in his side. 2B Ketel Marte continued his impressive spring, going 1 for 3. His batting average is .556 during spring training games. 1B Pavin Smith also had a strong day. He hit a 101.9 mph single in the second inning and a 112.4 mph double in the third.
Extra bases: Nelson avoided injury after being struck by a comebacker on the inside of his knee in the first inning. He was attended to by Lovullo and trainer Ryan DiPanfilo but remained in the game. “It hurt when it got hit,” Nelson said. “And then I walked around, threw a pitch and it felt good for the rest of (the game).” CF Alek Thomas made the Diamondbacks’ best defensive play of the day, robbing Padres 2B Eguy Rosario of a single with a sliding catch coming in on a sinking line drive.
—Theo Mackie
White Sox 5, Diamondbacks 1
At Camelback Ranch, Monday, March 4
At the plate: LF Joc Pederson hit two balls hard and drew a walk in another plate appearance. He finished the day 1 for 2 with a single and a lineout. 3B Jace Peterson, playing in his first game in a week, struck out and hit two balls hard, one of which went for a single. 2B Ketel Marte reached base two more times with a single to center and a walk. He is 9 for 15 (.600) in the Cactus League. 1B Andres Chaparro slammed a home run to deep left-center, his second long ball of the spring. DH Tommy Troy, the club’s top pick last year out of Stanford, struck out in the eighth in his first Cactus League at-bat.
On the mound: RHP Brandon Pfaadt turned in two innings, giving up one run on two hits, walking none and striking out one. He said his fastball location was better from his last time out. “I can do better with getting ahead, but I think at the end of the day it’s a win,” Pfaadt said. “If I feel good, that’s all that matters.” Pfaadt said his change-up, a pitch that has been a focus this spring, felt good on Monday. LHP Tommy Henry had his first rough go of the spring, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings. He bemoaned the quality of his fastball command. “Not as good today as in previous outings, which is a partial lead to the result,” Henry said. “I was in their favor of counts for the most part today. That’s a hard place to pitch from. You can get away with it sometimes, but if you’re looking for consistent results, you’ve got to be ahead. We didn’t do that today.” Henry is competing with RHP Ryne Nelson, among others, for the fifth spot in the rotation.
Extra bases: Pederson had an adventurous day in left field, making one sliding catch but failing to finish off two other sliding attempts, with all three chances coming in the second and third innings. The White Sox stole four bases on the day, running into only one out when Diamondbacks RHP Ryan Thompson picked off 2B Braden Shewmake from second in the sixth.
—1B Christian Walker’s return to the lineup will be pushed to Thursday, manager Torey Lovullo said, in order to give Walker’s hand a couple extra days to recover from last week’s hit by pitch. CF Alek Thomas (wrist) and 3B Eugenio Suarez (side) are expected back in the lineup.
MLB spring training ticket prices: 'We're getting bled dry'
Next game, Tuesday, March 5: Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson vs. Padres RHP Pedro Avila, 1:10 p.m., Salt River Fields.
—Nick Piecoro
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks fall to Dodgers in first 2024 Cactus League matchup
