Lourdes Gurriel Jr.'s grand slam, Tommy Henry strong start leads Diamondbacks past Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Diamondbacks left-hander Tommy Henry does not like to watch the home runs he gives up, so it was not unusual that he did not turn to follow the trajectory and distance of the ball Shohei Ohtani hit off him on Friday night.

He did, however, get a feel for its majesty in a different sense.

“It was loud,” Henry said. “I’ll leave it at that.”

Though Ohtani’s blast was undoubtedly the highlight of the night — it traveled 493 feet, making it the longest of his career and the longest in the majors this season — it was more of a footnote for Henry and the Diamondbacks, who still managed to prevail, 6-2, at Angel Stadium.

Henry worked a sharp 5 2/3 innings, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. connected for a grand slam and the Diamondbacks snapped a brief two-game losing streak, in the process maintaining their two-game lead in the National League West over the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers.

Henry struck out a career high eight while giving up only one run — a run that scored, of course, on the Ohtani solo shot. It was Henry’s third consecutive impressive outing; in that span he has given up just four runs in 18 1/3 innings while walking four and striking out 16.

Oddly enough, the pitch Ohtani hit was a slider, the same pitch Henry says might be most responsible for his recent success.

“Obviously, I threw a bad one late in the game, but outside of that it has consistently gotten a little bit better each time out,” Henry said. “The confidence in that has been growing as well.”

Since the day Henry debuted in the majors last August, his slider had been a focal point, a pitch he knew needed to get better. Henry described it bluntly on Friday night.

“It was pretty much nonexistent last year and the first half of this year,” he said.

But in recent weeks he and pitching coach Brent Strom found something that works, and Henry said the pitch has been getting better and better with each outing.

“Now, it’s becoming a pitch I’m throwing to both sides,” Henry said. “I can throw it any count, I feel like. I think hitters having to consider that opens up other doors.”

Henry seemed to be in control of the game almost from the beginning, working out of a two-on, one-out jam in the first, the only inning in which the Angels had an at-bat off him with a runner in scoring position.

“He set the tone for us,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “I think he’s learning how to slow the game down and make pitches when he has to. For me, that’s just maturity. He’s getting better with every start right now. We need him to continue to grow and learn as he has been.”

Angels right-hander Griffin Canning retired the first two batters of the second before issuing three consecutive walks to load the bases loaded for Gurriel, who deposited a full-count slider over the fence in left for his 13th home run of the year.

It was Gurriel’s sixth grand slam on his 81st career home run, meaning 7.4 percent of his homers have been slams. Only two hitters in baseball history with at least 80 home runs — John Milner (7.6 percent) and Yuniesky Betancourt (7.5 percent) — have a higher percentage of their homers as grand slams, according to Sportradar.

In his career, Gurriel is 19 for 43 (.442) with two doubles, six homers, four walks and 54 RBIs with the bases loaded. He said he tries to prepare himself for that kind of situation whenever it is looming.

“When there are two runners on and I’m on deck, I’m anticipating that moment,” Gurriel said, speaking through translator Jaime Del Valle. “I don’t want that moment to catch me off guard so I visualize that in my head.”

Lovullo sees Gurriel’s ability to hit breaking balls as part of the reason for his success in those situations.

“Not to say he can’t handle fastballs — he can handle fastballs, too — I just think he’s a really good breaking ball hitter and that seems to be some of the pitches you’ll see in those crunch-time situations,” Lovullo said. “And he can take advantage of it.”

Though Gurriel’s shot ultimately decided the game, it was not the home run best remembered from Friday night. In addition to being the longest homer he has hit in the majors, Ohtani’s shot was also the longest by an Angels player and the longest at Angel Stadium since 2015.

“It was a pretty impressive swing, I know that,” Lovullo said. “And it was a very loud contact. He generates a good amount of bat speed. He can leverage a baseball. He’s just a very strong man.”

Dominic and David Fletcher reflect on father’s memory

ANAHEIM, Calif. — When outfielder Dominic Fletcher got the call on Thursday night that he was headed back to the big leagues, he had no idea whom the Diamondbacks were playing this weekend. But once he found out he would be playing against his older brother, David, and the Los Angeles Angels, he immediately picked up the phone.

And was promptly sent to voicemail.

“Yeah, it was a ‘reject,’” Dominic said, laughing.

Apparently, David was at dinner and didn’t see the call, but he said he had an inkling the move might be coming.

“When he called me I kind of knew what it was about,” said David, who earlier in the day had seen that outfielder Corbin Carroll left Thursday’s game with a shoulder injury. “Pretty cool to hear that news (about the call-up).”

As special as this series is for the brothers, the moment is also bittersweet. It comes after their father, Tim, died unexpectedly two weeks ago. The brothers — David is 29 years old, Dominic is 25 — grew up in nearby Orange, Calif., and have memories of coming to games here with their father. They know this weekend would have meant a lot to him.

“I think this would have been one of his proudest moments,” Dominic said. “Every night, he turned on the TV and had both of our games going simultaneously. To be able to be here and watch would have been one of his favorite things.”

Said Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo: “I think it’s great. It’s good for baseball. It’s a great story. And they need that. They’ve been through a lot over the past couple weeks. Getting them on the same field at the same time, I think there was some divine intervention somewhere along the way.”

The Fletcher brothers met with the media before the game in the Angels’ dugout and were mid-interview when Angels superstar Mike Trout arrived. He loudly deposited his bats in the bat rack, then greeted them warmly.

“The Fletchers!” Trout said.

“Quit slamming stuff over there,” Dominic replied, jokingly. “We’re doing an interview.”

Trout recognized an opening and started firing questions.

“Who’s the better athlete?” Trout asked the back of the scrum.

“Right here,” Dominic said, drawing laughs.

Though the Fletchers have not faced each other before in the majors, they have played against each other in each of the past two seasons in the minor leagues. Asked during an Apple TV interview what they were most looking forward to about the matchup, Dominic again got laughs with his response, saying he was exciting to take a hit away from his brother.

“It’s awesome,” David said. “It’s something we kind of thought would happen one day. It’s going to be a special series.”

Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll out of lineup; Merrill Kelly making progress

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Outfielder Corbin Carroll was out of the lineup on Friday, a day after he exited a game with right shoulder soreness, but manager Torey Lovullo left the door open for Carroll to return to the lineup as soon as Saturday night.

“It’s a possibility,” Lovullo said. “I think there’s a progression that we go through. Let’s get through the shock of what happened yesterday, give him a chance to get grounded today, get him on the field tomorrow and see what’s going on, let him test it out and see how he feels in more of a game setting and game situation, and then check on his availability at that point.”

Carroll felt what he described as a “weird” sensation in his right shoulder during an at-bat on Thursday and was removed from the game two innings later. Initially spooked because it reminded him of how his shoulder felt when he needed surgery on it two years ago, Carroll passed subsequent tests to verify its stability. There are still no plans for him to undergo imaging, Lovullo said.

Kelly, meanwhile, played catch out to 120 feet on Friday and was scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Saturday. On the injured list following the discovery of a blood clot in his right calf, he is not eligible to return until after the All-Star break.

Dominic Fletcher, Kyle Lewis promoted from Triple-A Reno

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Diamondbacks made a pair of roster moves prior to their series opener against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, promoting outfielders Dominic Fletcher and Kyle Lewis from Triple-A Reno.

To make room, the club optioned right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who was hit hard on Thursday in his start vs. the Tampa Bay Rays, and outfielder Pavin Smith, who was just 9 for 69 (.130) with a .477 OPS in 21 games in June.

Fletcher’s return to the majors is bittersweet: This will mark his first time playing against his brother, David, an infielder for the Angels, but it comes shortly after their father, Tim, died unexpectedly earlier this month at age 60.

Fletcher hit .308/.349/.474 in 78 at-bats during a three-week stretch in the majors in May.

Lewis returns to the Diamondbacks for the first time since April, when he was placed on the injured list with an unspecified illness. He gradually worked his way back into game shape, then went on a rehab assignment to Triple-A before being reinstated and optioned to Reno earlier this month.

Pfaadt gave up six runs in two-plus innings, failing to record an out on any of the seven batters he faced in the third inning. In six starts in the majors this year, Pfaadt has a 9.82 ERA with nine home runs allowed. Manager Torey Lovullo thought Pfaadt made improvements with his fastball but needed to tighten up his secondary stuff; he allowed multiple hard-hit balls on both his slider and change-up.

"The secondary stuff was getting banged around a little bit," Lovullo said. "I want him to be able to stand on the mound and be able to throw any pitch at any time and say to the hitter internally, ‘You’re out.’ I think the secondary stuff is something that needs to continue to improve."

Lewis and Fletcher give the Diamondbacks additional outfield coverage at a time when outfielder Corbin Carroll could be limited due to a shoulder issue he experienced on Thursday. Outfielder Jake McCarthy also could be banged up after crashing into the wall in pursuit of a foul ball on Thursday.

Lovullo said the club was hoping Smith would get back on track with a stint in Reno.

"He just looked like he was battling some confidence and the ability to make swing adjustments in the box," Lovullo said. "To me, he was getting pitched to on a level that wasn’t him. Pavin can hit. He’s a good hitter. He’s good bat-to-ball. He knows the strike zone as good as anybody we have. I just think he was giving away too many at-bats by swinging at pitches that were not in the zone."

Friday's Diamondbacks-Angels pitching matchup

Diamondbacks LHP Tommy Henry (4-1, 4.31) vs. Angels RHP Griffin Canning (6-2, 3.99).

Henry gave up one run in 6 2/3 innings against the Nationals in his most recent start. That was on June 22; he had his usual start pushed back primarily because the club did not want to start a lefty against the Tampa Bay Rays this week, manager Torey Lovullo said. … Henry’s four-seam fastball has been getting hit hard (.320 average, .608 slugging) but he has been getting better results with his three secondary pitches (change-up, curveball, slider). … Canning missed much of the past two seasons with injuries but has managed to stay healthy this year, providing reliable innings in the Angels’ rotation. … He fired six scoreless innings in the Angels’ 25-1 blowout of the Rockies on Saturday at Coors Field. … Canning has a four-pitch mix starting with a fastball that averages 94.6 mph. He uses a slider and curveball to get most of his whiffs while also mixing in the occasional change-up.

Thursday game recap: Diamondbacks rookie Brandon Pfaadt hammered by Rays in loss

Coming up

Saturday: At Los Angeles, 7:07 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (4-4, 4.97) vs. Angels LHP Tyler Anderson (4-2, 5.54).

Sunday: At Los Angeles, 1:07 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (10-2, 3.02) vs. Angels LHP Reid Detmers (1-5, 3.77).

Monday: Off.

Tuesday: At Chase Field, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zach Davies (1-4, 6.54) vs. Mets RHP Kodai Senga (6-5, 3.53).

What to know about the Los Angeles Angels

The Angels finished their series finale against the White Sox on Thursday with a 44-39 record, putting them third in the American League West and a game and a half back of the third and final wild-card spot in the AL. Their offense ranks third in the AL with 4.98 runs scored per game. They are second in homers with 120, trailing only Tampa Bay (124). Their pitching staff ranks in the middle of the pack with a 4.13 ERA. Of course, both their offense and pitching revolve around the performance of RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani, who is hitting .309/.389/.659 with a league-leading 28 homers while also logging a 3.02 ERA in 16 starts. His 6.3 WAR is far and away the best in the majors, per Baseball Reference. CF Mike Trout has a .254/.363/.486 line, a good-but-not-great start to the year from another of the Angels’ star players. IF Brandon Drury, who signed a two-year, $17 million deal in the offseason, is hitting .278/.325/.505 with 14 homers. LHP Reid Detmers has been the Angels’ next-best starter after Ohtani; he has given up just three earned runs in his past 25 2/3 innings.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Lourdes Gurriel Jr.'s grand slam, Tommy Henry strong start leads Diamondbacks past Angels