Diamondbacks Spring Training: March 21, 2022
Monday opened Week Two of Arizona Diamondbacks Spring Training 2022. Diamondbacks players went through more defensive drills, bullpen sessions, and live batting practice at camp in the morning. In the afternoon, they hosted an exhibition game against the Seattle Mariners. Humberto Castellanos was the starting pitcher.
Before the pregame press conference, the team announced that 40-year-old veteran reliever Oliver Perez has joined the team as a minor-league free agent with an invitation to spring training. The Diamondbacks also claimed left-handed reliever Caleb Baragar off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
Torey Lovullo Pre-game
Manager Torey Lovullo said about Perez, “He’s here to compete. It was good to finally meet him. I’ve watched him perform from the opposing dugout for a long time. (Perez) walking in here and potentially coming back to pitch for the Arizona Diamondbacks is something that he’s excited about. We are, too, but we have to see what he looks like. (He has to) compete and show us what he can do. Nothing is going to be handed to anybody at this point in time. We know the track record and know the stuff and know the guy, but we want to see result when he gets out on the mound.
Perez, if he makes the roster, will, along with Mark Melancon and Ian Kennedy, give the relief corps a veteran presence that the team lacked in 2021. “We feel like that was an area of importance for us to address after last season,” Lovullo said. “I like the veteran leadership and like the guys who know what it’s going to take to prepare to collect outs. Guys with good heartbeats who have been battle tested. That’s definitely the situation for (Perez). But getting him here and watching him throw is the most important thing for me right now.”
Other Lineup Notes
Madison Bumgarner will start Tuesday and pitch three innings/45 pitches. If counting five days after tomorrow all the way for the rest of spring training, it lines up with Opening Day. “But we haven’t had any of those conversations with these guys yet,” Lovullo said.
Kennedy will pitch an inning of relief on Tuesday.
Merrill Kelly will start Wednesday.
Josh VanMeter is filling in for Ketel Marte at second base. Once Marte gets medical clearance, which was expected later Monday, VanMeter will get reps at third base. If Marte gets cleared, he will be the designated hitter Tuesday.
David Peralta
Left fielder David Peralta had another nice offensive outing, going 1-for-3 with a homer and two deep line drives for outs. Peralta said that his performance “feels good. Like I (said Saturday), I put a lot of hard work in the offseason to get my timing and to (time getting my) foot down. All this hard work is paying off right now. My tempo is really good right now. I’m taking (it) pitch by pitch and getting good results.” He is particularly satisfied that both of his home runs were opposite-field shots. “I’m back to my strength and my approach,” he said.
Peralta has worked in the offseason on being lighter on his feet. He said that he’s able to do “everything” on the field more easily now. But above all, it’s making him feel good that even his outs are being hit hard. “It always feels good when you barrel a ball,” Peralta smiled. “Doesn’t matter if it’s an out. It always makes you feel (that you’re) on the right path now.”
Torey Lovullo Post-game
After the 9–1 Diamondbacks victory, Lovullo said, “Winning the baseball game makes the day seem a little bit cleaner. There are some things that we need to work on. We will, but I thought we got some well-pitched innings early. (Castellanos) was doing a good job of attacking the zone and mixing up the pitches. The guys in the back end did a good job of attacking the zone and making adjustments from pitch to pitch. Those are the things that we’re looking for, because we know they’re not going to be fine-tuned and perfect. Feel something, make a quality adjustment, get back after the zone. So I was very pleased what we did on the mound.” The pitchers in the back end Lovullo referenced were Melancon, Jesus Liranzo, Luis Frias, Matt Peacock, Kyle Nelson, and Sean Poppen.
Lovullo praised his hitters as well. “Offensively, (we had) good approaches. We hit three home runs. When you see an opposite field home run with a little bit of backspin carry, your swing plane is in a good spot. We saw a lot of really good approaches where we drove the baseball to the opposite field, (which equaled) base hits the other way. So I feel like we’re in a really, really good place there.”
More on David Peralta
Lovullo said about his left fielder, “I talked about staying behind the baseball from a hitting standpoint. When you’re doing that, your timing is right, and it’s gonna yield a lot of really good results. I like things that happen to the pull side, but I want line drives in the middle of the diamond with a potential to backspin the baseball.
“David’s in a really good place. He did fly out in one of his plate appearances that stood out to me. He had a really good swing plane, but just barely missed that ball.
“His timing is in a good spot. I think he’s got a couple of things that he’s worked on with Joe (Mather, the hitting coach). It’s resulting in some really well-hit baseballs. He’s taking the baseballs and allowing the balls that he’s not supposed to swing at to get through the zone (without) offering at them. That’s a really good place to be right now.”
Looking Ahead
Diamondbacks spring training continues Tuesday, March 22. They will hold camp in the morning before a 1 pm home game against the Texas Rangers. Madison Bumgarner will take the mound for the Diamondbacks against Kolby Allard in a matchup of left-handers.
Main Photo:
Players mentioned:
Humberto Castellanos, Oliver Perez, Caleb Baragar, Joe Mather, Torey Lovullo, Mark Melancon, Ian Kennedy, Madison Bumgarner, Merrill Kelly, Josh VanMeter, Ketel Marte, David Peralta, Jesus Liranzo, Luis Frias, Matt Peacock, Kyle Nelson, Sean Poppen, Kolby Allard
