The Diamondbacks got exactly the kind of night a bullpen dreams about and a lineup survives on. In a 9-inning shutout of the Phillies, Arizona leaned on seven different pitchers - Taylor Clarke, Derek Law, Kevin Ginkel, Jose Cabrera, Brandyn Garcia, Jonathan Loaisiga and Juan Morillo - and all of them helped hold Philadelphia to just three hits and two walks.
That group made franchise history in the process. It was the most pitchers used in a nine-inning shutout win in Diamondbacks history.
Brandyn Garcia said the effort felt like the kind of collective performance teams talk about but rarely pull off cleanly.
“It was cool to see everybody piece it together,” Garcia said. “I think that we’re just really close as a group.”
The bullpen wasn’t the only reason Arizona walked away with the win. James McCann supplied the biggest swing of the night, jumping on the first pitch from Painter for a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning to snap the Diamondbacks’ three-game slide.
McCann said he knew Painter had beaten him with breaking balls in his previous two at-bats, but he wasn’t locked into hunting one pitch. He also pointed to Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto’s game-calling as part of the challenge, saying he was ready for whatever came next.
“It was definitely one of those games where really either way -- they come up with a big hit and the momentum shifts in their favor, we come up with a big hit and [it shifts in] our favor,” McCann said. “That’s a good quality team over there. It was a great series.”
In Other News...
Diamondbacks Face A Bigger Torey Lovullo Question Than The Playoff Push
Even with the Diamondbacks still in the thick of a playoff push, the bigger conversation around the dugout may be what comes after this season. MLB insider Robert Murray of Fansided.com said he expects Arizona to retain Torey Lovullo for another year, pointing to Lovullos strong relationship with the general manager, the way players respond to him, and the fact that his teams have remained competitive even through uneven stretches.
Lovullos future has still become a talking point because the job security question tends to surface when expectations run high, but there has been no official decision from the club. Murrays view adds another layer to the seasons final stretch: even if the results go one way or another, Lovullo could remain a central part of Arizonas plans, and any move away from him would likely not keep him on the market for long. [Read more 🡒]
Gabriel Moreno Has Changed What Arizonas Lineup Can Be
Gabriel Morenos breakout season has given Arizona something it has not always had behind the plate: a catcher who can shape the lineup in more than one way. He has paired better contact with more impact, showing improved power metrics while also making more consistent swings, and the result has been the kind of production that has pushed him to career highs in home runs and slugging percentage.
Just as important for the Diamondbacks, Moreno has been on the field enough to matter. After dealing with availability concerns in earlier seasons, he has reached 110 games and looked the part of one of the better catchers in baseball, which changes how Arizona can build around him. The combination of bat speed, more balls pulled in the air and a lower whiff rate has made this feel less like a hot streak and more like a shift in what the lineup can be. [Read more 🡒]
Kael Snyder And Perry Face An Early Test Their Turnaround Needs
Perry High School opened the season with the kind of jolt every struggling program hopes for, rolling to a 64-0 win under senior quarterback Kael Snyder, the Boise State commit who has become the face of the turnaround. The performance came with a fresh voice on the sideline too, as the program recently hired Jeremy Hathcock as its new head coach after a stretch of losing records dating back to 2018.
Now the first real test arrives in the form of Centennial High School in Las Vegas, a matchup that should say more about where Perry stands than a season opener ever could. Snyder gives the offense a proven leader, and Hathcocks arrival adds another layer of intrigue, but the bigger question is whether this fast start can hold up once the schedule starts asking harder questions. [Read more 🡒]