Bird on the menu. I hope D. Baxter is ready
Back home come the D-backs, after a 3-3 road trip, which somehow doesn’t seem like a 3-3 road trip. Losing arguably your team’s best player, in Ketel Marte, will do that to you. Marte did have an MRI after he returned with the team to Phoenix today. But Torey Lovullo said in his pre-game media session that the results were not available yet. We might know more about the extent of Ketel’s hamstring issue after the game, or it might be tomorrow. Lovullo did say that both Kendall Graveman and Kevin Ginkel will both throw bullpen sessions tomorrow, so that’s a good sign.
Be interesting to see what moves are made whenever they are ready to return. Both Jalen Beeks and Shelby Miller have performed well so far in relief. Over a combined 12.1 innings, they have allowed one run on just three hits, with thirteen strikeouts. Miller is currently working on a five inning no-hitter, which I did not see coming [In case you are wondering, Scott McGough got torched for five runs with Reno yesterday, and has a 13.50 ERA there. So any redemption story arc there may end up not getting renewed] Through ten games – so twice through the rotation – Miller and Beeks have a higher bWAR than any other pitcher on the team, bar Zac Gallen. Didn’t see that coming either.
Tonight will be my first recap of the year, so I’m hoping for a win, of course. But I really would like to see the D-backs play to their capabilities, without making the gaffes which have kinda characterized their performance to date. Sloppy defense, bad base-running, inconsistent starting pitching: we’ve seen it all in the first ten games. Oh, there have been positives too. Corbin Carroll looks set to make an MVP run, for example. But I don’t think there’s anyone – fans, players, or coaches – who would say they were satisfied with the overall standard. Be nice to be able report in positive terms after this one, and get the home-stand under way with a victory.