That new swing is working well so far…
Record: 3-4-1. Change on 2024: -1.5. Five inning result: 5-2-1.
If spring training is any guide – and let’s no kid ourselves, it basically isn’t – then Corbin Carroll is on the way to an MVP award. He homered again this afternoon at Salt River Fields, his third of the preseason and part of a three-hit afternoon which gives him a spring line of .600/.667/1.500. The same fifth inning, third-base prospect Gino Groover also went deep for his first of the year, and that was easily enough offense for Arizona. Carroll had already driven in the game’s first run in the third, his single scoring Jorge Barrosa who had tripled, and Corbin also had the D-backs’ opening hit with a one-out single in the first. The other hits went to seven different players, and the only knock was probably a K:BB of 10:1 by AZ.
The pitching was equally on point, holding the Royals to four hits. Merrill Kelly got the start, and went two scoreless, picking off the base-runner from the only hit he allowed. He walked one and struck out a pair. Ryne Nelson followed, and also put up a pair of zeroes, on a hit and two walks with one strikeout. It was another day for the A-bullpen to get into action, with Joe Mantiply, Kevin Ginkel, A.J. Puk, Justin Martinez and Cristian Mena each throwing an inning. Ginkel allowed the only run to Kansas City, surrendering a long home-run in the sixth. Bit of a scary moment when Martinez took a hard comebacker off his glove, but there seems to have been no damage, and he stayed in the game.
With the team beginning to roll, tomorrow sees the D-backs face the Rockies at Salt River Field, as the “home” team. That’ll be Zac Gallen’s second start of spring, and is scheduled for a 1:10 pm first pitch.