Diamondbacks Daily: Bumgarner crushed yet again as Diamondbacks drop finale

Theo Mackie, Arizona Republic

Wed, Apr 19, 2023, 5:30 PM·21 min read

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday, April 19, 2023, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

ST. LOUIS — The Diamondbacks entered Wednesday’s series finale with hopes of their first-ever sweep in St. Louis. After a 14-5 loss, they left with more questions surrounding the future of Madison Bumgarner, their struggling starting pitcher who is the highest-paid player on the team.

Bumgarner was torched for seven runs on seven hits in three innings. The Cardinals battered him early and often, with the biggest blow coming on a three-run homer from Tommy Edman in the third inning.

He also had a bizarre moment with Willson Contreras in that same inning. He appeared to take issue with Contreras grunting on a swing. Television cameras caught him seeming to mouth a profanity to the Cardinals’ catcher. Contreras ended the at-bat with a walk and unleashed a bat flip on his way down to first base.

Bumgarner now has a 10.26 ERA in four starts. The Diamondbacks are 1-3 when he starts and 10-5 when he does not start.

Peter Solomon was no better in relief, allowing seven runs in 2 1/3 innings. Alek Thomas and Pavin Smith delivered the bright spots, each hitting home runs to right field.

Herrera removed after foul ball to head

ST. LOUIS — Diamondbacks catcher Jose Herrera was removed from the game in the sixth inning after taking a foul ball off the bat of Jordan Walker to his mask. Herrera needed help from home plate umpire Junior Valentine standing up after the play.

At first, he readied to take the next pitch. Just before Peter Solomon began his delivery, though, Herrera stepped out to call time. Manager Torey Lovullo and trainer Max Esposito then came out to speak with Herrera. After a brief conversation, he walked back to the dugout with them and was replaced by Gabriel Moreno.

Herrera made the major-league roster as the backup catcher to Moreno when Carson Kelly broke his forearm in spring training, forcing him to the injured list. He is 5-for-20 batting on the season. If Herrera is forced to the injured list, he will likely be replaced by P.J. Higgins, who has been the starter in Triple-A Reno.

Lovullo said after the game that Herrera had not entered concussion protocol and that there were "no signs of a concussion." He called the injury a "head contusion," and added that he removed Herrera because of a fear that a second foul tip could cause significant damage.

"I think we dodged a bullet," Lovullo said.

Cardinals rolling in finale

ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals have blown Wednesday's series finale open since Madison Bumgarner was pulled after three innings

Peter Solomon pitched a clean fourth inning and was one out away from stranding a runner and getting out of the fifth, but then surrendered a walk, a triple and a single. By the end of the inning, the Cardinals lead had ballooned from 7-4 to 10-4. They added to the lead with a sixth inning grand slam off Solomon, making it 14-4.

Solomon's contract was selected from Triple-A Reno on April 9, when the Diamondbacks moved Drey Jameson — who began the season as their long reliever — into the starting rotation. His ERA is now 12.27 in three appearances. It is a concerning trend given that the Solomon is the only bullpen option who has been able to give the Diamondbacks more than two innings at a time.

Bumgarner crushed yet again

ST. LOUIS — Madison Bumgarner entered Wednesday's game with a 7.90 ERA, prompting questions over his future in the Diamondbacks' rotation. Manager Torey Lovullo has been steadfast in his confidence in Bumgarner, saying that his spot is not at risk.

On Wednesday, though, Bumgarner's struggles continued. He was pulled after three innings that moved his season ERA to 10.26. He allowed seven runs, issuing four walks and striking out two. The Cardinals hit five balls 100 mph or harder off him. They opened the game with back-to-back doubles and continued the onslaught from there, scoring three in the first. After stranding the bases loaded in the second, Bumgarner allowed four in the third, with the big blow coming on a three-run homer from Tommy Edman.

Bumgarner's early exit poses problems for the Diamondbacks bullpen. Every reliever except Jose Ruiz and Peter Solomon pitched in Tuesday's 8-7 win after Drey Jameson only went 3 2/3 innings. Solomon entered in relief of Bumgarner to start the fourth.

The Diamondbacks trail, 7-4, with home runs from Alek Thomas and Pavin Smith having kept them in the game.

Diamondbacks at Cardinals series finale

The Arizona Diamondbacks conclude their second road trip of the 2023 season with a three-game series at the St. Louis Cardinals. Game 3 is Wednesday at 10:15 a.m. MST.

The game can be seen on Bally Sports Arizona.

Wednesday: At St. Louis, 10:15 a.m., Diamondbacks LHP Madison Bumgarner (0-2, 7.90) vs. Cardinals RHP Jake Woodford (0-2, 5.65).

TV/Radio: Bally Sports Arizona, MLB Network (out-of-market only)/KTAR-AM (620), KHOV-FM (105.1).

Bumgarner's struggles continued last time out, as he allowed five runs in five innings while striking out just one against the Marlins in a loss. Bumgarner now has a 7.28 ERA in his last 13 starts, stretching back to last season. He is among the worst starters in baseball in nearly every category over that span. ... Bumgarner did get off to a strong start in that outing, going three scoreless before allowing five runs in the fourth on a slew of hard-hit balls. ... Woodford was primarily a reliever in his first three Major League seasons, making 10 starts and 55 relief appearances. He excelled in that role last year, posting a 2.23 ERA in 48 1/3 innings. He hasn't yet found that same success as a starter. ... In his last start, Woodford had his best appearance of the year, working around seven hits and a walk to go 5 1/3 scoreless.

Coming up

Thursday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (1-0, 3.71) vs. Padres RHP Michael Wacha (2-1, 6.06).

Friday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (2-1, 3.33) vs. Padres RHP Seth Lugo (0-0, 2.70).

Saturday: At Chase Field, 5:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (1-2, 2.53) vs. Padres RHP Yu Darvish (0-2, 3.44).

Tuesday game recap

ST. LOUIS — Torey Lovullo stood in his office, microphone on, and began.

“There’s a lot to unpack here,” the Diamondbacks manager said late Tuesday night, deep beneath Busch Stadium. He was referring, specifically, to the ninth inning, with its PitchCom and mound visit complications. Really, though, he could have been talking about the whole game.

The brief summary is easy. The Diamondbacks beat the Cardinals 8-7 to move to 11-7, continuing a season full of promise. With a win Wednesday, they can record their first ever sweep in St. Louis.

How they got there is a different story. There were three moments in the game that few, if any, Diamondbacks could come up with a comparison for.

One night earlier, after the Diamondbacks won the series opener, Lovullo praised his team for a spirit that he believes has helped spur this hot start. “They fight, they believe, they're relentless,” Lovullo said then.

Each of the three unusual moments Tuesday embodied that mentality.

In the second inning, the Cardinals’ Lars Nootbar grounded to short with the bases loaded and two outs. Nick Ahmed fired to Ketel Marte at second, but Taylor Motter ran through the bag to beat the throw, avoid the forceout and enable the run to score. Had the call on the field been correct — that Motter beat the throw — he would have been ruled out, because Marte slapped him with a tag after he ran past the base. But because he was initially called out, the play was dead. And when replay ruled that he beat the throw, it meant he was safe, full stop.

“If he was safe, he would’ve been out,” Lovullo said. On the flip side, if he was out, he would’ve been safe.

Got that? Drey Jameson apparently did.

The Diamondbacks’ starter was rocky all night, struggling with his control. With his pitch count still being worked up as he transitions back into the starting rotation, Jameson only made it through 3 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks. His slider, typically one of the best in baseball, was mostly ineffective.

But in that moment, with chaos surrounding him, Jameson was in command. No matter that National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt was at the plate, nor that Goldschmidt hit a towering homer in the first inning. Jameson stood strong and painted a 99 mph fastball on the outside corner to get Goldschmidt looking and avoid a crooked number.

“That was a huge out,” Lovullo said. “… He’s a pitch maker.”

Two innings later came unusual moment number two. With the bases loaded in the fourth and the game tied at two, Ahmed swung at a curveball in the dirt. Any other time in his career, it’s a strikeout. This time, Ahmed got his bat on the ball and smacked it, off a hop, into left field for a two-run double, helping instigate a six-run inning that put the Diamondbacks up, 7-1.

Has Ahmed ever done that before?

“Not even close,” he said. “Hopefully never again. Hopefully I don't swing at any balls that bounce.”

By doing so, though, Ahmed put himself in good company. The most prominent example of a player recording a hit on a bounced pitch is Vladimir Guerrero, who golfed a single back in 2009. When the MLB Twitter account posted a video of Ahmed’s hit, Guerrero replied, “I’ve seen this before,” with a laughing emoji.

Guerrero’s not the only legend to accomplish the feat. In 2000, when he was playing in Japan, Lovullo watched Ichiro Suzuki do it during an exhibition game against Lovullo’s Yakult Swallows.

“I thought it was one of the greatest feats ever hitting a baseball,” Lovullo said. “Nick Ahmed now joins that company.”

Unusual moment number three was less enjoyable, for Lovullo and the Diamondbacks.

In the ninth inning, Andrew Chafin’s PitchCom device wasn’t working. Typically, a coach coming out for a PitchCom change isn’t charged to a team’s limit of five mound visits. But because the Diamondbacks infielders converged on the mound, it did. That created confusion later in the inning, when pitching coach Brent Strom and Lovullo each had to come out to help navigate a near-disastrous inning, in which Chafin turned an 8-4 game into an 8-7 heart-stopper.

By the second or third time Lovullo came out to dispute his mound visit limit with umpires, the remaining Cardinals fans expressed their displeasure in full voice, making a half-empty stadium sound like a sellout.

“It was a very hostile crowd, it was loud,” Lovullo said. “I don't think anybody knew what was going on or could hear one another so it did get very confusing.”

The crowd didn’t seem to faze Miguel Castro, who entered in relief of Chafin. Castro had to rush through his warm-up routine and was erratic against his first few batters. But after walking the tying runner, he induced soft contact with a change-up low and away.

When third baseman Evan Longoria fired over to Christian Walker at first base, Castro leaned back and pumped his fists. His first save as with the Diamondbacks wasn’t easy. But it was in the books.

“We showed a lot of resilience today,” Lovullo said. “There were some good lessons to be learned.”

More from Tuesday's game: D-Backs offense explodes in fourth

ST. LOUIS — The Diamondbacks entered the top of the fourth trailing 2-1. They exited it leading 7-1.

In between, they scored six runs on seven hits, blowing the game wide open. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. opened the frame with a single, followed by a game-tying double from Christian Walker. Evan Longoria singled to center and Jake McCarthy reached when Walker got out of a pickle between third and home. That loaded the bases for Nick Ahmed, who doubled to left on a remarkable play where he was somehow able to hit a curveball that bounced in the dirt, invoking memories of Vladimir Guerrero. The play was so unusual that Statcast was not able to provide data on it.

If that wasn't enough, Gabriel Moreno followed Ahmed's double with a homer to left-center field. Statcast had no trouble tracking that one — it traveled 399 feet into the seats, giving the Diamondbacks an imposing lead.

The six runs were the Diamondbacks' most in an inning this year.

Bizarre play helps Cardinals to early lead

ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals jumped in front of the Diamondbacks with runs in each of the first two innings Tuesday night. The Diamondbacks got a run back in the third, with Josh Rojas singling home Gabriel Moreno, but still trailed, 2-1, after three.

The first blow came on a home run from National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt. The second came on a bizarre play where the Cardinals' Taylor Motter intentionally overran second base with the bases loaded and two outs, enabling him to avoid the forceout, scoring the run from third.

It's a play the Cardinals have run before, but there's a trade-off: The runner going to second (Motter in this case) is surrendering a tag out. However, despite being tagged by Ketel Marte after beating Nick Ahmed's throw, Motter was ruled safe upon review. The reason, apparently, is that the initial ruling was a forceout. Therefore, the play was dead, nullifying Marte's tag.

Diamondbacks starter Drey Jameson made it a moot point, though, when he struck out Goldschmidt to strand the bases loaded.

Diamondbacks reinstate Mantiply to active roster

ST. LOUIS — Before Tuesday's game in St. Louis, the Diamondbacks reinstated reliever Joe Mantiply to the active roster from the 15-day injured list.

Mantiply, who was Arizona's All-Star Game representative last year, appeared in six Cactus League games before he was placed on injured list with left shoulder inflammation on March 30. The left-hander recently underwent a rehab assignment at Double-A Amarillo, pitching three scoreless innings in two games.

To make room on the roster, the Diamondbacks optioned RHP Luis Frías to Triple-A Reno following Monday night’s game.

Mantiply was the Diamondbacks' most trusted reliever for most of last season, posting a 2.85 ERA and walking a remarkable 0.9 batters per nine innings. His return gives the club another back-end piece to its bullpen. Manager Torey Lovullo has not named a closer, opting instead to use his best relievers in various late-game roles depending on matchup.

So far, that group has consisted primarily of Andrew Chafin, Miguel Castro and Scott McGough. Chafin has been the best option, delivering eight scoreless outings, and Castro has been solid, with a 2.45 ERA in seven appearances. Scott McGough has struggled with a 9.64 ERA and two blown saves.

Given those varying levels of performance, Mantiply's return provides an important boost.

"Immediately, he steps in there and he gives that bullpen a little bit more credibility," Lovullo said. "... He's ready to compete. He's been obviously frustrated by the delayed start but he worked hard to get back here. The reputation, I know, is just a starting point. He's gonna go out there and execute and make pitches to get outs."

Carroll's off day not cause for concern

ST. LOUIS — Early Tuesday afternoon, the Diamondbacks posted a lineup to Twitter with Corbin Carroll in it. Then, an hour later, they followed up with a lineup sans Carroll.

The move caused a brief panic regarding the circumstances of Carroll's off day. Lovullo, though, said the first lineup was published in error and was merely an option that the staff had discussed Monday night. Lovullo said the move is a standard off day for a player who has appeared in all 17 games and started 16 of those 17.

"That was something that was probably my mistake," Lovullo said of the lineup error. "I just wanted to give Corbin a day off."

Monday's game: Pavin Smith spurs series-opening win with grand slam

ST. LOUIS — When Andre Pallante brought the count to 3-0 with a low fastball to Corbin Carroll, the thought slipped into Pavin Smith’s mind: “I hope he walks.” The Diamondbacks, at that point up 2-1 in the seventh inning, had runners on first and second. Carroll walking would present a tantalizing possibility for a player without a professional grand slam.

“I was on deck,” Smith said, “and I was like, ‘I haven't hit a grand slam yet, that'd be pretty cool.’”

It’s a mindset Smith may have not carried last season, when he felt himself overcomplicating at-bats and struggling to a career-worst .667 OPS. But this year, Smith feels different. He’s found himself in a groove, relishing the big moment.

On Monday, it arrived for him in the form of Carroll’s walk. Smith didn’t miss his opportunity. In working the count to 2-2, he saw two curveballs and gained a recognition for the pitch. So when Pallante delivered a third and hung it middle-middle, Smith made no mistake, sending it 414 feet out to right-center.

In the moment, the pitch gave the Diamondbacks a 6-1 lead, setting the course for a series-opening 6-3 win. It was also emblematic of a larger shift.

Last year, and even during part of 2021, Smith found himself cheating. He would anticipate fastballs in a certain part of the zone as a sort of coping mechanism. Nothing else was working so he’d zero in on one pitch, hoping that he could bust out of a slump with one big swing.

“I just felt like that was the way that I was gonna hit,” Smith said. “Sometimes, you just get into those ruts and you start guessing. And a lot of times, you guess wrong.”

That mindset, Smith said, eroded the plate discipline that had been his biggest strength as a top-10 draft pick and later a top-100 prospect. His chase rate jumped from 18.2% in a 2020 cameo to 23.8% in 2021 and 24.1% in 2022. This year, it’s down to 12.5%.

Swinging at pitches outside the zone was only part of the problem. Because he was so locked in on a certain pitch, Smith would often watch hittable pitches go by. He swung at just 55.4% of pitches in the strike zone, the lowest mark of his career. Among 317 hitters with 250 plate appearances, only nine swung at fewer in-zone pitches than Smith. This year, he’s up to a healthier 60.6%.

There’s the caveat of small sample size here — Smith has had just 20 plate appearances since being recalled from Triple-A.

Shredding two years’ worth of doubts will take more than two weeks, even if it’s paired with a strong spring training. Going 6-for-18 with four extra-base hits is nice, but Smith’s had stretches like this before. Kyle Lewis, who beat him to the Diamondbacks’ last position player roster spot when they broke camp, will eventually return from an undisclosed illness and create a decision for the club’s brass.

Still, it’s encouraging, especially from a player who once carried the expectations that surrounded Smith.

“It's (18) at-bats in but it's the only thing we can gauge it on and you've gotta feel good about it from our standpoint and I'm sure Pavin does as well,” Lovullo said. “It was always a great strength of his. He was a collegiate player and did that and he got into our system and he did that, he controlled the zone. I think you get to the big leagues and there's a learning curve. You want to try to come up and thump the baseball and you get away from your approach.”

This off-season, Smith targeted his plate discipline in the Dominican Winter League.

“It's a tough thing to work on,” he said. “I think it's more of a mindset of feeling like you don't have to cheat to fastballs.”

He and the Diamondbacks felt that the best way to get into that mindset was extra at-bats, especially after he missed more than two months with a broken wrist. In the Dominican, he got that work, walking more than he struck out in 65 plate appearances.

All of it, Smith believes, has given him a healthier approach. One where he’s seeing the ball well and is adaptable to pitches he doesn’t expect.

Which brings us back to Monday night in St. Louis. Despite having seen two curveballs already in the at-bat against Pallante, Smith was expecting a fastball. Last year, he might have been caught off-guard by the curveball Pallante delivered. Maybe he would’ve watched it float over the plate. Maybe he would’ve recognized it a split second late and fouled it off.

This year, he was able to identify it quickly, put a good swing on it and send the Diamondbacks to a win.

Kelly's pitch clock adjustment

In the sixth inning, Merrill Kelly made two plays he wanted back. One was a balk, on which he moved his glove in a way that is now illegal with Major League Baseball clamping down on such movements. The other was a cutter that Willson Contreras smacked to center field for a double.

Both plays, Kelly said, were a result of the pitch clock and not recognizing that he could have used a disengagement to clear his mind and reset the clock. On the double, he couldn’t find the pitch he wanted to throw on his PitchCom device. With the clock ticking down, he decided to throw a cutter, which was the pitch he had already pressed.

With runners on base, pitchers get two disengagements, which can be a pickoff attempt or simply stepping off the rubber. Kelly could have used one in that moment.

Kelly did not have a full spring training of adapting to the pitch clock because he pitched in the World Baseball Classic. However, this was his fifth start (including one in spring training) since returning from the tournament.

“We're still super early in this and I'm really gonna have to be mindful of what the situation is and really be able to be aware of where I'm at and where we're at in the game,” Kelly said. “Obviously it didn't cost us tonight but in a bigger situation, a different game, it definitely could come back to bite us in the butt. So I definitely need to be better at being aware of that.”

The sixth-inning run was the only one Kelly surrendered. He went six innings in his second straight excellent outing.

Gallen NL Player of the Week

Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen was named NL Player of the Week on Monday after tossing an NL-high 13.2 scoreless innings across two starts (both wins), yielding just five hits and one walk with an MLB-leading 18 strikeouts for the week.

Gallen, 27, struck out 11 batters in 7 scoreless innings in a home start on Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Gallen allowed just three hits and one walk in the 96-pitch outing. Then on Sunday, Gallen worked 6.2 scoreless innings at Miami, giving up two hits with no walks and seven strikeouts to improve to 2-1 with a 3.33 ERA for the season.

Gallen now has six outings with at least 10 strikeouts, tied with Ian Kennedy for the seventh-most in franchise history behind Hall of Famer Randy Johnson (106), Curt Schilling (38), Robbie Ray (23), Brandon Webb (12), Patrick Corbin (10), Zack Greinke (7) and Dan Haren (7).

Series recap: Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks avoid sweep vs. Marlins