Diamondbacks 10, White Sox 0: Another of Those 'Pyrrhic' Thingies
If it seems like a while since I've done one of these... That's because it is. Between off-days and the Scotland jaunt (thanks to Makakilo for standing in during my absence), my previous recap was all the way back on May 26. That was so long ago... [HOW LONG WAS IT?] That Aramis Garcia has been added to the 40-man roster, designated for assignment, cleared waivers, re-added to the 40-man roster and designated for assignment again since the last time I picked up my recapper's quill. After that game, the D-backs were 27-27, and have basically hovered around there since. Tonight's win in Chicago moved them two above .500, tied for their best mark in that time.
Advertisement
It wasn't particularly close either, the scoreline being an accurate reflection of the difference in performance between the two teams on the night. The Arizona offense did not seem to realize they had come back down from Coors Field, with Pavin Smith going deep twice, and Ketel Marte getting in on the fun with his fourteenth home-run of the season. Meanwhile. Eduardo Rodriguez looked masterful. It may only have been the White Sox - the Pirates are the only team with a lower OPS+ than their mark of 80. But ERod continued his strong streak of starts since coming back off the injured list, with six shutout innings, on five hits, two walks and ten strikeouts.
Despite this, not all was well in Snakeville. Because, by the middle of the fourth inning, the available Diamondbacks bench was James McCann. That was it. We were already short one Corbin Carroll, still apparently waiting for the results of his MRI [He must have got it on the NHS...] The first to depart was Eugenio Suarez, who was hit in the first inning (above), immediately after Josh Naylor's two-run double had given Arizona an early lead. He was hit of the back of his right hand by a 96 mph fastball. Suarez initially stayed in the game, but was lifted before the bottom of the first inning. The good news? X-rays were negative, and Suarez was smiling when he talked to Torey Lovullo later in the game.
However, we've seen this film before. After he suffered his hand injury which eventually put him on the Injured List, catcher Gabriel Moreno also got X-rayed. Lovullo said, 'Everything's negative, but just taking him out of the game was precautionary.' Moreno even played in several games before eventually being diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his right index finger. As a trained medical Googler, I feel I can state: hand bones are funny like that. Smiles or not, I would still be inclined to get an MRI, in order to be sure. Just perhaps not from the same place used for Carroll, which is apparently sending the results by medical carrier pigeon.
In the second inning, Smith cranked his seventh home-run to right-field, also scoring Jose Herrera and Geraldo Perdomo. But, again, this was immediately followed with another problem: a very awkward swing from first baseman Josh Naylor, which left him grimacing in obvious discomfort. He stayed in the game through the middle of the fourth, which also saw Marte and Smith go back-to-back, for a 7-0 Arizona lead. But Naylor's at-bat to end the inning was clearly a problem, and he was lifted from the game too, being replaced by Tim Tawa at first. The team said he left due to 'right shoulder discomfort' and is considered day-to-day. As with Suarez, I'm going with nothing more predictive than 'We'll see.'
Advertisement
The team was, fortunately, able to make their way through the remaining five and a half innings without any further Final Destination moments. Good thing too, or McCann might have ended up making his Arizona debut as an outfielder. The offense continued to click, notching 13 hits. There were two apiece for Perdomo, Smith, Ildemaro Vargas (who came in to replace Suarez) and Herrera, while Marte had his fourth start in a two with 3+ hits. He was a ninth-inning pinch-hit appearance on Sunday from becoming the third D-backs with four consecutive 3+ hit-games. He did it previously in 2019, and Paul Goldschmidt was the first such, in 2018
Meanwhile, Rodriguez was pitching a master-class. Admittedly, he was taking advantage of a high strike-zone from home-plate umpire Ron Kulpa. This succeeded in peeving the White Sox to such an extent, their DH got himself tossed from the game. But he rarely looked in trouble, and even when Chicago could get a runner in scoring position, such as a lead-off double in the second, Rodriguez simply fanned the next three batters. He has now allowed five earned runs over 22 innings since coming back, an ERA only just over two this month. It's certainly the best stretch of outings since he became a Diamondback, and it is great to see him pitching like this.
After he left, Disco DeStefani came in, and mopped up the remaining three innings. By doing so, he qualified for a save, and became the 10th D-back to record one this year, joining Jalen Beeks, Kevin Ginkel, Drey Jameson, Bryce Jarvis, Justin Martínez, Shelby Miller, Ryne Nelson, A.J. Puk and Ryan Thompson. We're not even at the half-way point in the season. It was also just the second time since the end of 2017, that Arizona had a double-digit shutout win. The previous time was the 17-0 mauling of the Nationals on July 30th last year. But there was some further bad news post-game. I guess the results of the MRI finally got here.
Click here for details, at Fangraphs.com
Pyrrhus: Pavin Smith, +15.6%
Plutarch: Rodriguez, +13.1%; Naylor, +11.4%; Perdomo, +10.4%
The Romans: Randal Grichuk, -5.6%
Despite all the injury woes, a lively enough Gameday Thread - a pounding of the opposition like this likely cures most ills. 240 comments all told, with Comment of the Game going to this late entry from Trappkory.
It'll be back at the same ballpark tomorrow, and if the result ends up being the same, I wouldn't object. It's another 4:40 pm first pitch (AZ time), with Ryne Nelson on the mound. And probably another roster move to report, I suspect...
Advertisement
More from azsnakepit.com:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
30 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Diamondbacks ban season ticket holder for rest of season after interference during game vs. Giants
PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have banned a season-ticket holder from Chase Field for the rest of the season because of 'multiple offenses' during games, including fan interference on a fly ball to the wall during Monday night's game against the San Francisco Giants. The D-backs were leading 3-2 in the eighth inning on Monday when San Francisco's Christian Koss hit a long fly ball to left field. Arizona left fielder Tim Tawa tried to make a leaping grab, but the fan made the catch with his own glove, appearing to reach over the fence. The umpires initially ruled that Koss was out, but the call was overturned after review and Koss was awarded second base. The D-backs went on to win the game 4-2. The fan — who said his name is Dave McCaskill — was ejected after the incident. McCaskill went on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM on Tuesday, saying he's been ejected three times and reviewed '9 or 10' times over the years. 'While our policy is to not publicly disclose information about our season ticket holders, the Arizona Diamondbacks are making this statement due to public speculations and multiple media inquiries regarding the fan interference incident during last night's game,' a statement from the team said. 'This particular fan has been involved in multiple offenses at Chase Field. Consequently, we have terminated his Advantage Member account and he is prohibited from returning to Chase Field for the remainder of 2025. 'This fan will have the opportunity to return to Chase Field in 2026 so long as he meets certain terms and abides by our Fan Code of Conduct.' ___ AP MLB:
New York Times
34 minutes ago
- New York Times
NHL free agency best and worst deals: On Ivan Provorov, Mitch Marner and many more
The wackiest day on the NHL calendar has come to a close. Now it's time to look at the best and worst from the start of free agency. As usual, it's a lot easier to find deals that fit the 'worst' list compared to the 'best' list. That's the nature of the open market, where the highest bidder is usually the one left holding onto a very expensive mistake. Still, it's not all bad. Getting a great player without giving up assets is still a win, and there are some under-the-radar adds that should provide some positive value, too. Here are the five best and five worst signings from the start of the offseason. The big fish Now that the NHL is exiting the flat-cap era and entering a cap-growth era, talent acquisition has arguably become just as important as spending discipline. With so much cap space available, just getting the guy is a big deal. That's within reason, and we'll get to that on the other side, but it's hard not to love the Golden Knights and Rangers landing the biggest fish on the market in Mitch Marner and Vladislav Gavrikov. Vegas fills a massive need, adding to its core with a two-way superstar winger, while the Rangers fill their own with a defensively stout partner for Adam Fox. Two teams with lofty ambitions got their guys and that's a win in and of itself. Advertisement What sets these deals apart is that, on paper, they were also pretty damn good. Especially compared to what was rumored for both Marner (over $13 million) and Gavrikov (over $8 million). Both ended up signing for almost their exact worth. These were more than fair prices and on July 1, for the best players, it's hard not to say anything but 'bravo' for both signings. The hometown discount With how little actually happened on July 1, we're going to make several exceptions for this list. One of them is Aaron Ekblad's new deal, which will pay him just $6.1 million for the next eight years. Ekblad could've easily commanded $8 million on the open market and he probably would've been worth it too. This is, without a doubt, a massive win for the Panthers, who get to keep the band together for several more runs. A lot of people will clamor about the 'no state tax' advantage here and there's a kernel of truth to that. But this goes beyond that because Ekblad left money on the table even with that considered. The Panthers have several advantages that they're able to stack on top of each other, making the Ekblad deal possible only for them. That starts with knowing how to price players. They know how to negotiate because of that, they know how to create a winning roster because of that, and they can keep building on top of that in an endless cycle of good deals. Players want to win, players are willing to take less to win, and Florida provides the best opportunity. Sprinkle the no state tax discount on top of that and it becomes an easy decision where the discounts become obnoxiously large. That's where Ekblad's deal lands. Florida is home for Ekblad and it's also where he's gone back-to-back with a chance to build a dynasty. That's worth all the millions (and more) he could've gotten somewhere else. Advertisement Great RFA bets This may be cheating, but the best deals in this league are almost never for UFAs — they're for RFAs. We got proof of that with three massive signings over the last two days for Evan Bouchard, Matthew Knies and Logan Stankoven. Bouchard is one of the absolute best offensive defensemen in the world, serving as rocket fuel for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. He helps make them better with his dynamic puck play from the back-end and he only elevates his game further in the playoffs. In a world where Noah Dobson gets $9.5 million and Jakob Chychrun gets $9 million, having Bouchard for just $10.5 million is a steal. And that's true even if it's only for four years and even if he'll make some Big Mistakes along the way. In Knies and Stankoven, the Maple Leafs and Hurricanes made big bets on potential — both of which have a strong shot of panning out. Knies looks like he may become one of the NHL's premier power forwards and having him locked up for the next six years at a reasonable price is terrific. The Leafs finally get good value on a core forward's second contract. As for Stankoven, the Hurricanes are paying him second-line money on an eight-year extension that kicks off in 2026-27. With the cap set to explode and Stankoven's legitimate star upside, it's a savvy bet that has the potential to provide a massive return. If he can become a top-line talent, it could become one of the league's best deals, period. These deals don't come without risk. But that risk is well worth the potential reward in a growing cap world. In this league, it's almost always better to bet on what a player will likely become than what a player was. While other teams spend big on the back half of a player's career, these deals take on the player's prime. Pay for their best, not their worst. Cheap depth defensemen While many teams spend July 1 shelling out tons of money for defensemen who aren't very effective, the best bet is usually to scour the bargain bin. That's how Florida got Oliver Ekman-Larsson two years ago and Nate Schmidt last year. Advertisement It should come as no shock that the two-time defending champs decided to employ the same strategy this offseason with Jeff Petry. While he may no longer be top-four caliber, he should be more than fine in a sheltered role. At league minimum, Petry is a valuable add. A few others that fit that bill: Mike Reilly signing for $1.1 million in Carolina, Pittsburgh nabbing Parker Wotherspoon for $1 million and Detroit adding Jacob Bernard-Docker at $875,000. None are big needle-movers, but they can be fine in a third-pair role. For the price, it's a lot more sensible than what some of the more desperate teams are doing, paying $3 million or more for comparable on-ice performance. The question marks Not being sure how actually good a player is can often be a market inefficiency that can be exploited this time of year. The brand-name guys get overpaid based on reputation. These guys? They usually get underpaid due to an air of uncertainty about whether they're legit or not. Now, that obviously adds some risk where maybe the target really isn't that good, but it does leave some room for error. The other bonus: the term is usually short too, leaving some flexibility if it doesn't work out. This year, the best candidates for that are Andrei Kuzmenko, Jonathan Drouin and Dante Fabbro. All three look like they can be top-of-the-lineup contributors, with Kuzmenko and Drouin offering second-line ability and Fabbro establishing himself as a top-four guy. Their numbers are good, they've looked good, but some caveats create question marks. Can Kuzmenko be a consistent producer? Is Drouin just a byproduct of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar? Can Fabbro drive a pair? Those are all reasonable questions to ask, but at the prices paid — right around $4 million, there's very little actual risk to the deals. At worst, they're modestly expensive third liners or third-pair guys. In a growing cap world where Miles Wood's salary can be cleared with ease, that's no longer an issue. With Kuzmenko and Fabbro, we know the fit is there, too, which helps. As for Drouin, there's a potentially great fit next to Bo Horvat with his name on it. The other big fish I don't want to harp anymore on Ivan Provorov than I already did with his contract grade. Good player, bad deal — don't need to beat a dead horse. On the other hand, that was before seeing Gavrikov's deal, which comes in $1.5 million cheaper for the same length. Ouch. There's no doubt who the more valuable defensemen is between the two, right? That comparison puts Provorov's deal further into perspective and not in a good way. The Blue Jackets were able to keep their big fish fed and happy enough to stay, but at a truly exorbitant cost. Advertisement The opposite of a hometown discount I don't know what the word is for the opposite of a hometown discount, but the Canucks got one in Thatcher Demko. Yes, he looked franchise-calibre two years ago, but that's sandwiched by two years where injuries took a serious toll on his game. After an .889 save percentage where Demko was only able to play 23 games, was an $8.5 million AAV really warranted? The Canucks did well to keep the term short given the unpredictable nature of goalies in general and with Demko in particular. But it does feel like they should've gotten a much better deal on the cap hit, considering the season Demko is coming off of. Combine that with the deal they recently signed for Kevin Lankinen, and there's a lot that doesn't make sense about Vancouver's approach here. Paying $13 million for potentially mid goaltending starting in 2026-27 doesn't sound ideal. Tough RFA bets Not every RFA bet is made equal. Even with team control, there's still room for error if a team misevaluates what they have. That's easier on defense, where a lust for size can lead to ignoring actual on-ice quality. Kevin Bahl and Nicolas Hague are two prime examples of that. How either player is getting over $5 million is beyond me. Even with the cap growing, a $5 million cap hit should still be reserved for defensemen who can actually play in the top four. It's fair to be skeptical that either Bahl or Hague can do that to an effective enough degree to be worth it. While Bahl was in that role for the Flames last season, that was out of necessity more than merit. Bahl's presence there was part of the reason the Flames weren't a very good hockey team. As for Hague, he struggled in third-pair minutes with Vegas last season, making him a difficult bet to move up the lineup on a worse team. To Hague's credit, he's at least been close to the calibre of a No. 4 defenseman in the past, but the Predators should be paying for what he is now — a fine third-pair guy — not what he used to be. Expensive depth defensemen Oh, Ken Holland, you couldn't resist, could you? The veteran GM put his stamp on the Kings with two high-risk bets on the back end in Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin at the combined cost of $8.5 million. At that price, it would've been better to just overpay Gavrikov — at least you know he's a rock-solid top-four defenseman. These guys? Not so much. Maybe they were at one point, just not anymore. Ceci's underlying numbers have been rough for years, but in Edmonton, he at least had the tough minutes excuse. For the Oilers, he offered mostly fair value with that in mind, but it was evident during the 2024 Stanley Cup Final run that Ceci's game didn't have much left. During the 2024-25 season, he struggled mightily with the Sharks and was just as poor with the Stars. It's possible that Ceci does better in the Kings' defensive system and bounces back, but at his age and this price, it's a bad bet. Advertisement The same thing goes for Dumoulin, whose inability to play in the top four has been made exceptionally clear over the last few years. In a sheltered role with the Kraken, Dumoulin thrived. But that wasn't the case in Pittsburgh or Anaheim, where he was tasked with a much larger burden. If Ceci and Dumoulin end up as the Kings' third pair, they can probably work just fine. Given the price paid, it looks likely they'll be asked to do a lot more and it wouldn't be a shock to see this duo as the Kings' opening night second pair. Woof. Between these two and Joel Edmundson, Los Angeles' blue line is in dire straits with guys who can't do a lot with the puck. That probably won't cut it in the playoffs. Just because guys used to play top-four minutes doesn't mean they can still play that role. Or that they should still be paid to that level. In Ceci and Dumoulin, Holland made a difficult bet that looks very unlikely to pay off. Shocking money for a replacement-level player I am not sure how the Tanner Jeannot deal happens in the year 2025. Did the Bruins learn nothing from Barclay Goodrow or Miles Wood and the perils of paying too much and too long for a depth guy? Did they learn nothing from the Lightning trading a whole draft class for Jeannot a few years ago? Have they witnessed Jeannot's own play over the last few years? At this stage of his career, Jeannot is a replacement-level guy who moves the needle way too far in the wrong direction. It's absolutely indefensible to pay him third-line money for the next five years, especially mere months after the team reportedly nickel-and-dimed their captain into going elsewhere. It's been a long time since Jeannot has been a top-nine player, and while there's a small chance he gets back to that level, the Bruins made way too rich of a bet to find out. (Top photos of Ivan Provorov and Mitch Marner: Joseph Maiorana and John E. Sokolowski / Imagn Images)
Washington Post
38 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Guardians place Gabriel Arias on IL with ankle sprain, recall Brayan Rocchio from Triple-A
CHICAGO — The Cleveland Guardians placed shortstop Gabriel Arias on the 10-day injured list with a left ankle sprain before Tuesday night's game at the Chicago Cubs and recalled infielder Brayan Rocchio from Triple-A Columbus. Rocchio was in Cleveland's lineup at shortstop and batting ninth for the series opener at Wrigley Field. Arias was taken off the field on a cart after getting hurt in the third inning of Sunday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The team said X-rays were negative and Arias underwent an MRI on Monday. 'It looks like we got pretty lucky,' manager Stephen Vogt said. 'It looks like a moderate ankle sprain. So we'll have more information on him when we get back (to Cleveland on Friday), but it sounds like he avoided some major injury, which is great.' Arias is batting .231 with six homers and 31 RBIs in 77 games in his first full season as a starter. Arias went deep into the hole to field a grounder by Masyn Winn with one out, but caught his left spike on the grass and awkwardly rolled his ankle. The ball wound up in left field for a single. Arias immediately grabbed his leg and remained down for several minutes. Rocchio opened the season with the Guardians, but was optioned to Triple-A on May 12 after batting only .165 with eight RBIs in 35 games. In 41 games with Columbus, he hit .252 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs. ___ AP MLB:
