Diamondbacks Spring Training: April 3, 2022
Saturday saw another Arizona Diamondbacks spring training workout in the morning. That afternoon, they hosted the Cincinnati Reds in a 1:10 pm Cactus League exhibition game. Diamondbacks righty Corbin Martin faced Reds lefty Nick Lodolo.
Torey Lovullo Pregame
Madison Bumgarner, to no surprise, will be the Opening Day starter. Lovullo added after the announcement, “I want to acknowledge how hard he has worked and what type of shape he came in here. And I said three weeks ago, the way his arm was working and the bullpens he was throwing, I could tell that he was preparing and ready for the season. So compliments to him on the work that he did in the in the blackout period. He came in here and earned this moment.”
Third baseman Josh Rojas has a Grade Two right oblique strain, something he said he’s been feeling for “a couple of days.” Lovullo said that Rojas will be “out for a while” and that it’s “in terms of weeks, not days.” Drew Ellis has a locker in the major league clubhouse again, in the meantime. He will be in the running for the job, along with Jake Hager and Sergio Alcantara. The priority, Lovullo said, is “somebody that can pick up the baseball and operate at full speed while playing defense.”
Lovullo, when asked, acknowledged that he wished Rojas had spoken up sooner. Consequently, Lovullo used this as a lesson to the team. “(I) explained to the group that mental toughness is not playing through something and playing through the grit. Mental toughness is saying, ‘I need to step out of this game or step out of an at-bat, get examined, and let somebody know that I’m not feeling right.”
Other notes
Retired Boston Red Sox second baseman, two-time World Series champion, and former Arizona State Sun Devil Dustin Pedroia spoke to the team Sunday as a special guest. “Dustin delivered a great message to our team today. I didn’t have any doubt that he would do anything less than that. He talked about preparation, focus, effort, and the ability to win. What it means to win inside of a day,” Lovullo recapped.
Luke Weaver “feels good” and is progressing as expected from his thumb injury. Lovullo said there is little concern over a prompt return.
The pitching rotation will have Bumgarner, Merrill Kelly, Zac Gallen, and Zach Davies in some order. The fifth member of the rotation is still up for grabs and will be announced once the staff finishes “evaluating guys.”
Torey Lovullo Postgame
The Reds won in a blowout, 15–4, boosted largely by an eight-run second inning. Lovullo summed up the day with, “Obviously a long day out there, not an ideal game. We got to do a couple things better. We’ve identified a couple things. We got to land pitches, throw pitches in the right place, identify swing planes, and know how to attack hitters.”
Martin had some “misses” and some pitches that were badly executed at critical times, according to Lovullo. There were other pitches that went well, but overall, the outing was inconsistent.
The team needs to run through a few things at Chase Field over the next three days, Lovullo said, “but I think we’re really close. Our pitchers have been thrown the ball really well. We highlighted and emphasized picking up the baseball defensively. So I think those two things are in a really good spot, but the remaining things that we need to get off of our checklist, we’ll take care of tomorrow and the following two days after that. But we’re in a really good spot. This team is coming together very nicely.”
Looking Ahead
Diamondbacks spring training continues Monday, April 4. They will hold camp in the morning before playing a pair of split-squad games. One group will head to Peoria to face the Seattle Mariners in a 1:10 pm matinee, while the other will host the Cleveland Guardians at 6:40 pm at Chase Field. In Peoria, a pair of lefties will go at it — Caleb Smith for the Diamondbacks and Marco Gonzales for the Mariners. Diamondbacks righty Zach Davies will battle Guardians lefty Konnor Pilkington at Chase Field.
Main Photo:
Players mentioned:
Corbin Martin, Nick Lodolo, Torey Lovullo, Madison Bumgarner, Josh Rojas, Drew Ellis, Jake Hager, Sergio Alcantara, Dustin Pedroia, Luke Weaver, Merrill Kelly, Zac Gallen, Zach Davies, Caleb Smith, Marco Gonzales, Konnor Pilkington
