The Diamondbacks continued to show they are a team to be reckoned with, taking their eighth straight series. Over that stretch, they’ve picked up some impressive wins, adding both the Cleveland Guardians and Philadelphia Phillies to the ledger. Both teams had the best record in baseball when Arizona came to play them, and the Diamondbacks met the challenge and won six of seven.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Manager Torey Lovullo was on the Dbacks TV postgame coverage and was proud with the way his team finished the Phillies series.
“We’ve had discussions all the way back as far as Spring Training, we talked about what are we going to look like when we have a chance to win a series on a Sunday when you’re split. What are you going to do when you got to win a game to salvage? What are you going to look like when you have a chance to win three of the four. I think this team did a great job of answering the question.”
In the series against the Phillies, it was clear who the better team was. Arizona collected 53 hits, tying the record for the most hits in a series played at Chase Field, with 33 of them coming in the final two games. They won by a combined score of 23-6. It was the level of play that has star players like Bryce Harper, who’s still on a Hall of Fame trajectory, showering them with praise after the series.
The Diamondbacks had to face two All-Stars in this series, Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez, and won both games. It’s no easy feat to score on Sánchez, who entered the game with a 3.21 ERA in 22 starts, but the Diamondbacks were able to do so. They pounded out 12 hits against the left-hander, four more than he allowed in any other start this season, knocking him out in the fifth inning and putting up eight runs to blow the game open.
“Everybody had really good approaches. I felt like at no time were we out of at-bats against really good stuff, that’s what stands out to me.”
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was removed from the game in the fourth inning and was replaced by Corbin Carroll. Later the Diamondbacks gave an update that Gurriel had left hamstring tightness. There are no plans for imaging, and he’s day-to-day.
“I noticed it when he was tagging up from second to third base, it was just out of precaution. When I got the word from the trainer, we both decided it was the best thing to pull him off the field.”
Lovullo said they’ve set a target to get Ketel Marte back in the lineup Monday, but they’ll wait to see how he feels. Should they need to give him another rest day, Kevin Newman has been more than a capable replacement.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
