Another day, another comeback win
Recaps
[AZ Central] Diamondbacks down Brewers behind solid Zac Gallen outing, timely hits – Over the previous five games, the Diamondbacks played at least a little better in all facets — and, in some cases, far better. And went 4-1 in that stretch. “Even though we’re not playing our best baseball, we’re getting very close,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We’re pushing in the right direction each and every day.” Right-hander Zac Gallen turned in a solid performance, serving up a two-run home run in the first but firing five scoreless innings after that. Corbin Carroll had a pair of hits, including a seventh-inning single that led to the go-ahead run. Rookie Tim Tawa doubled and scored a run and tied the game with a sacrifice fly.
[Dbacks.com] D-backs ‘fight to the end’ in 2nd straight comeback win vs. Brewers – “We fight to the end,” Naylor said. “This group, they’re amazing. They don’t take one pitch off, they don’t take one inning off. It might not look like it’s in our hands at the beginning of the game, but it’s not over until the last out.” That’s a lesson the Brewers learned the hard way this weekend when they had a chance to beat co-aces Corbin Burnes and Zac Gallen on back-to-back days only to drop both games. “It just was one thing after another,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said of his team’s approach. “And I’m just proud of this team. They’re very persistent, and they’re very hungry.”
[Arizona Sports] Diamondbacks’ Zac Gallen, bullpen silence Brewers to pick up series win – Gallen provided a fifth straight quality start with six innings and two earned runs, as he settled in after a rocky first frame. From there, Jalen Beeks, Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk each threw a scoreless inning, with Puk securing the save. Arizona’s bullpen entered Sunday with a 3.48 ERA and league-leading 0.85 WHIP. “We have eight guys down there who could throw leverage innings at any point,” Gallen said. “It’s really good to be able to get six innings and hand the ball over to the horses down there. It makes our job a lot easier. Takes a little bit of pressure off the offense too.”
Team news
[SI] Three Key Takeaways from D-backs’ Chaotic Series Win over Brewers – If there’s one negative, or, at the very least, concern, it’s the lack of consistent leads. Even with a more solid turn through the rotation and excellent bullpen pitching, the D-backs can’t always count on incredible comebacks. Or maybe they can. Regardless, Arizona still seems to have an issue with going down in the score early, and their offense has come almost exclusively in back-end innings. If it works, it’s not like there’s a reason to complain, but the question arises, is this winning sustainable? It’s hard to imagine that it is. The D-backs will likely need to find a way to keep their opponents down early and build early leads to become a complete contender.
[MLB] Meet the 90 mph pitch that can move like a knuckleball – Martinez, 23,is off to a strong start for Arizona, striking out seven without a walk or run allowed in five appearances. He’s whiffed 39% of the batters he’s faced, an elite figure should he keep it up all season long. But even in a world where strikeouts are generally the truest measure of a pitcher’s skill, there’s a different leaderboard that Martinez is atop of right now – and it tells us a little something about how that splitter and the triple-digit fastballs work together. Of more than 300 qualified pitchers so far, Martinez is the only one who has yet to allow a single squared-up ball, meaning whether a hitter actually achieves the exit velocity available to him on a given swing.
[Arizona Sports] Diamondbacks homestand standouts include Corbin Carroll, Brandon Pfaadt – Arizona improved to 9-7 with some gritty wins, while there is another level the club would like to reach. “There’s so much to unpack here,” Lovullo said. “At the end of the day, we won a big series against a very good baseball team on two occasions. We lost the first game to the Orioles and the first game to Milwaukee and came back to win the series. This team is very determined and we’re moving in the right direction.” To break down a six-game stretch that has put the Diamondbacks on a better path, let’s review some of the standouts from this homestand.
[Sports 360] What to make of the 2025 Diamondbacks so far – Shelby Miller has been stellar in his low stakes relief appearances. Torey Lovullo confirmed during a pregame press conference on Saturday that Miller will start getting looks in higher leverage situations. The decisions ultimately come from him, but are preempted by pitching coach Brian Kaplan. Speaking of Kaplan, he has found something in lefty Jalen Beeks who was acquired right before opening day. He’s averaging just a tick under one strikeout per nine and is getting through innings efficiently. The rise of Beeks is good for this team, especially since the third lefty in the pen, Joe Mantiply has been shaky to start the year. His velocity is down (averaging 85-87 mph on his fastball), which could be a big concern moving forward.
And, elsewhere…
[ESPN] Cubs’ Justin Steele to have elbow surgery, out for season – Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele will undergo season-ending surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his left elbow, manager Craig Counsell told reporters Sunday. It was unclear whether Steele, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017, will need another full ligament-replacement procedure or a Tommy John revision with an internal brace. The 29-year-old left-hander will be sidelined until 2026. “On a day like this, you feel for Justin,” Counsell said before Sunday’s series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. “It’s kind of the life of a major league pitcher, these injuries that make you miss most of seasons.” [We therefore will not see him in Chicago next weekend]
[Purple Row] Padres 6, Rockies 0: My kingdom for an offense – Three consecutive shutouts were historical in all the wrong ways as the Rockies had no answers for Padres pitching. They managed just nine hits in the series and had 12 total base runners. They have the least amount of runs scored in baseball and have been left with a lot of soul-searching to do. Per Baseball Reference, the Rockies are the third team in the modern era of MLB history to score zero runs, have fewer than 10 hits, and strike out at least 30 times in over three games. The last time the Rockies went 22-plus straight innings without scoring was April 10-14 in 2021 (26 innings). The record is 30 innings back in 2010 and they appeared poised to break that record unless they hit the ground running in the first couple of innings in Los Angeles.
[CBS News] Savannah Bananas pack stadiums with their zany twist on baseball – Savannah Bananas owner Jesse Cole dreamed of making baseball livelier and more fun. Now the team is taking its dances, acrobatics, and trick plays to sold-out stadiums across the U.S.