The Sports Xchange
MLB Team Report – Arizona Diamondbacks – INSIDE PITCH
PHOENIX — Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon McCarthy was stunned, and it was not hard to blame him. When opponents are hitting pitches a half-foot outside for home runs, it is not going to be a good night.
Atlanta right fielder Jason Heyward had three hits in the Braves’ 5-2 victory on Friday, but the one that stuck in the D-backs’ craw was his two-run opposite-field homer in the fifth inning on what was supposed to be a waste pitch.
“That’s just a ball,” McCarthy said. “It was 6-7 inches off the plate, and he went after it. It is a pitch I don’t expect to get hit at all. It was right where I wanted it. I wanted to use it to establish something else. He took a swing at it and hit a home run. Pretty surprising, and it kind of sucks it was a two-run homer on that. It’s a credit to a guy like that like that to find his pitch do something with it.”
Heyward’s homer gave Atlanta a 2-1 lead, and after McCarthy’s first career RBI tied the game at 2, Heyward scored the go-ahead run after walking with one out in the seventh inning and scoring on Andrelton Simmons’ double. Atlanta tacked on two runs in the ninth.
McCarthy, 1-8 with a 5.13 ERA, deserved better. His fastball sat at 95 mph most of the night, and he struck out nine in 6 1/3 innings. His only walk was to Heyward in the seventh.
McCarthy has found himself on the wrong side of big innings several times this season, but that was not an issue Friday. He stranded runners on first and second base in both the second and sixth innings, small victories.
“The last few weeks have been tough,” said McCarthy, whose ERA is ahead of only Colorado’s Franklin Morales among 58 National League qualifiers.
“It has just been a weird season. There were a couple of situations I got out of that I did a better job of keeping myself in the moment. Not let things spiral. Just make as many pitches as I can. I was happy with that today, as opposed to the past two weeks, where that wasn’t the case. There are positives to be taken from that. There is still work to be done.”
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MLB Team Report – Arizona Diamondbacks – NOTES, QUOTES
RECORD: 26-37
STREAK: Lost one
NEXT: Braves (RHP Ervin Santana, 5-2, 4.10 ERA) at Diamondbacks (LHP Wade Miley, 3-6, 4.85 ERA)
PLAYER NOTES:
–SS Didi Gregorius became the first player in franchise history to hit a leadoff home run in consecutive starts when he homered Friday. He also had a leadoff homer in a 16-8 victory at Colorado on Wednesday, his first start since being recalled from Triple-A Reno. He had Thursday off but is expected to start at second base Saturday, manager Kirk Gibson said. “I want to keep him involved,” Gibson said. “Don’t want him to get stale.”
–LF Mark Trumbo (stress fracture right foot) took batting practice before the game for the first time since going on the disabled list April 24. “It felt good,” said Trumbo, who said he put full weight on his foot during the session. Trumbo is expected to receive another CT scan early next week, and if all goes well, the D-backs hope he can return in the third week of June. Trumbo, who has played in only 21 games this season, is still tied for the team lead with seven home runs.
–RHP Brandon McCarthy had his first career RBI Friday, grounding a two-out single between third base and shortstop to drive in LF David Peralta from second base to tie the game at 2. McCarthy gave up only three runs in 6 1/3 innings, but he dropped to 1-8 when the D-backs could not manufacture much offense in a 5-2 loss. “I think (I) got lucky,” McCarthy said. “I think he hung a slider. It’s good, but I think now I have as many RBIs as wins in the second week of June. That’s probably not a great thing.”
–RHP J.J. Putz gave up a hit and two walks in his first rehab assignment for Triple-A Reno on Thursday, getting out of a two-out, bases-loaded situation in the eighth inning. “His command wasn’t very good last night,” Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said. “We’ll wait and see where he’s at. He’s coming along fine.” Putz is expected to make at least one more rehab appearance before returning. He has been on the disabled list with right forearm soreness since May 6. Putz threw 19 pitches, nine strikes, on Thursday.
–LF Cody Ross was credited with an RBI single in the ninth inning of Arizona’s 12-7 victory at Colorado on Thursday after a scoring change. The play with runners on first and second in the ninth inning originally was ruled an error on Rockies 3B Michael Cuddyer, who had moved from first to third in the eighth inning.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “It’s good, but I think now I have as many RBIs as wins in the second week of June. That’s probably not a great thing.” — RHP Brandon McCarthy, who had his first career RBI on a fifth-inning single but fell to 1-8 when the Diamondbacks could muster only five hits against Atlanta in a 5-2 loss Friday.
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MLB Team Report – Arizona Diamondbacks – ROSTER REPORT
MEDICAL WATCH:
–OF Mark Trumbo (stress fracture in left foot) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 22. He was out of his walking boot and is scheduled to hit in a batting cage in late May. He took batting practice on the field June 6 for the first time since going on the disabled list.
–RHP J.J. Putz (right forearm tightness) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 4. An MRI exam May 7 revealed no structural damage. He played catch May 13 for the first time since being placed on the DL. He threw a bullpen session May 27. He began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Reno on June 5. He is expected to make at least one more rehab appearance before returning.
–INF Cliff Pennington (partially torn left thumb ligament) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 2. He underwent surgery June 4. He might be able to resume baseball activity in late July or early August.
–CF A.J. Pollock (broken right hand) went on the 15-day disabled list June 1. He is scheduled to undergo surgery to repair a fractured fourth metacarpal, and he is expected to be out until mid- to late July.
–RHP Daniel Hudson (Tommy John surgery in June 2013) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 29. He threw breaking balls in a bullpen session May 13, the first time he has spun the ball since returning to the mound in April. There is no timetable for his return, and he will not set one after rushing to meet a deadline last summer. He is expected to miss most of the season.
–LHP Matt Reynolds (Tommy John surgery in September 2013) went on the 15-day disabled list March 19, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on June 1. He likely will miss the entire 2014 season.
–RHP David Hernandez (Tommy John surgery in April 2014) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 27, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on April 14. He will miss the entire season.
–LHP Patrick Corbin (Tommy John surgery in March 2014) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 19, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on April 4. He will miss the entire season.
ROTATION:
LHP Wade Miley
RHP Brandon McCarthy
RHP Bronson Arroyo
RHP Randall Delgado
RHP Chase Anderson
BULLPEN:
RHP Addison Reed (closer)
RHP Brad Ziegler
RHP Josh Collmenter
LHP Oliver Perez
LHP Joe Thatcher
RHP Trevor Cahill
RHP Evan Marshall
CATCHERS:
Miguel Montero
Tuffy Gosewisch
INFIELDERS:
1B Paul Goldschmidt
2B Aaron Hill
SS Chris Owings
3B Martin Prado
INF Eric Chavez
INF Didi Gregorius
OUTFIELDERS:
LF Cody Ross
CF David Peralta
RF Gerardo Parra
OF Ender Inciarte
OF/INF Nick Evans
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