The D-backs head into the teeth if the NL East
Recaps
[AZ Central] Diamondbacks hold lead this time, defeat Braves to end losing streak, avoid sweep – The clubhouse was abuzz after the Diamondbacks’ 6-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, April 27, players and staff preparing to head to the airport and embark on a six-game road trip to New York and Philadelphia. Also, the mood was light as the Diamondbacks (15-13) got a much-needed win to end a four-game losing streak. And in one corner was a chipper Ketel Marte, giving the appearance that he would be on the flight and soon be activated from the 10-day injured list… There remains the possibility that Marte will join the team in Philadelphia, as Lovullo didn’t dismiss the notion. “Maybe. Let’s keep our fingers crossed on that one,” Lovullo said.
[Arizona Sports] Corbin Carroll sets tone in skid-snapping victory over Braves – “Definitely was and continues to be,” Carroll said regarding his focus on improving his throwing strength. “I just want to make sure I help my pitchers by not giving up free bases where we don’t have to. Make sure it’s not something that can be attacked, and so far this year I feel like I’ve been able to do that. Hope to keep the strength and accuracy going in the right direction.” Carroll tripled twice on Sunday, the first multi-triple game of his career. He was even faster during his second three-bagger in the seventh inning, reaching third in 10.87 seconds. “Between first and second, there’s like a decision point on most of those,” Carroll said. “If it’s a yes, just give it whatever I got.”
Team news
[SI] Concern Level for D-backs Closer Elevates with Steep Velocity Loss – The four-seamer ranged between 96.5-97.9 MPH, averaging 97.2, which is 3.7 MPH slower than his season average. Likewise the sinker was down 3.0 MPH and the splitter 2.0. He was also wild, hitting the first batter he faced, walking two, and giving up a run. He needed 26 pitches to close out the inning, throwing 15 for strikes. After the game, manager Torey Lovullo was unusually candid about his level of concern with what he saw. “I’m not going to lie and say that while I was watching it, there wasn’t a little bit of concern. I saw the same numbers you did. Of course I am concerned,” he said.
[Dbacks.com] Extra, extra(s), read all about it: State of D-backs after rigorous homestand – A homestand that opened with six solid innings of one-run ball from Brandon Pfaadt to secure a win ended in similar fashion. It was the days in between that got wild, historic and well, just plain extra. Dating back to last Sunday, the D-backs played in four extra-inning contests, the second time that’s occurred in franchise history in a seven-day span (June 26-July 3, 1999). Lovullo said, “I feel like we could, instead of going 2-4, we could have gone 4-2 on this homestand very easily. That’s my standard. That’s what I’m frustrated about. In the areas where we needed to win innings and win moments, we did not. So we respect the Braves. We respect the Rays. Both very well-managed teams with a ton of talent, haven’t quite got their footing early on in the season. But we’re the Arizona Diamondbacks and we’re a damn good baseball team.”
[Arizona Sports] Report: Diamondbacks have interest in Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley – The Arizona Diamondbacks have interest in St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, a likely trade candidate, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported on Sunday. Arizona has had interest in Helsley dating back to the winter, Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reported. St. Louis, however, didn’t want to part with an elite closer during the offseason. Now that the Cardinals are 12-16 having given Helsley just six save opportunities, the willingness to negotiate could change. The Philadelphia Phillies could also be in the mix for Helsley’s services, Nightengale noted, but likely not at the cost of their top two prospects.
[USA Today] Rays prospect Chandler Simpson may be the fastest man in baseball – Scouts have been in awe by Diamondbacks reliever Juan Morillo, who was discarded by the Dodgers and signed as a minor-league free agent by the D-backs. Morillo, who was just called up last week, has been lighting up the radar gun at 100-mph and has yet to give up an earned run. “That will be the greatest minor-league free-agent signing of the year, hands down,’’ said one scout… Scouts are raving about D-backs prized infield prospect Jordan Lawler, who is lighting it up at Triple-A Reno, and predict that he could be their everyday second baseman next season while moving injury-prone Ketel Marte to first base.
And, elsewhere…
[MLB] What to make of a stacked NL West? The experts break it down – The season is a month old, and the National League West, as expected, is proving to be the most competitive division in baseball. A roundtable of NL West beat reporters gathered to examine where things stand as we inch toward May. Four teams in the NL West are above .500, and three are playing at a .600 clip. We all knew this would be a competitive division, but I’m not sure any of us predicted all four teams would have been this hot from the start.
[ESPN] Dodgers’ Tyler Glasnow (shoulder) exits start after 1 inning – One month into the regular season and the Los Angeles Dodgers already have two starters dealing with shoulder injuries after right-hander Tyler Glasnow left Sunday’s outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates before the start of the second inning with right shoulder discomfort. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell is currently on the injured list with shoulder inflammation. Snell had a setback during his recovery program last week but an MRI on Thursday did not show any additional damage. As of now, the Dodgers are not planning on an MRI for Glasnow’s latest injury.
A Working Man (2025)
Rating: C
Dir: David Ayer
Star: Jason Statham, Maximilian Osinski, David Harbour, Arianna Rivas
Having enjoyed the previous Statham-Ayer collaboration, The Beekeeper, I was hoping for a similar level of violent, deadpan ludicrous entertainment. I can only express disappointment at the thoroughly mediocre competence on view here. I suspect a good part of the reason is a script not written by Kurt Wimmer, but instead is a collaboration between Ayer and, um, Sylvester Stallone? Despite being similarly part of the “Jason Statham goes vigilante” subgenre, this doesn’t have the same pep or zing which made Beekeeper such a pleasure, and an unexpected commercial success. It may not have helped that I recently rewatched Spy, in which Statham spoofs the kind of hard-boiled and unstoppable persona he plays here.