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Last Night's Game
D-backs' Greinke Expects to Improve
Zack Greinke Better But Not Good Enough
He also had rotten luck, but Greinke himself (who would certainly know better than us!) realizes he just doesn't have it early this season. Hopefully, he'll find it before his next start, in San Francisco. The best progress in my view was no home runs allowed, which means that after giving up approximately 1.7 million home runs in the opening series, the D-backs pitching staff has allowed only one in the first three games against the Cubs.
Diamondbacks' Rubby De La Rosa Works Inning of Relief Saturday, Still Starter
While a substantial number of people here would like to see RDLR move to the bullpen on a more permanent basis, this was a good move for a couple of reasons. First, this might help De La Rosa feel more confidence in his stuff, and second, if they do at some point decide to move him to the bullpen, he already will know the feeling. Plus, he didn't throw very many pitches on Thursday, so getting him some extra in-game work wasn't a bad idea. We should see him make his regularly scheduled start on Wednesday.
Other Diamondbacks News
Welington Castillo and the Diamondbacks Can Breathe Again
Or could, before last night's loss, anyway. Castillo should benefit from back-to-back off days, as I anticipate Chris Herrmann gets the start in today's game.
Pollock Could Miss Entire 2016 Season
We knew this was possible. Now, it is looking more like probable, and we have certain knowledge that it will be three months before any baseball activity. We also know that the team was less than forthcoming about the fact that the screw (plate?) previously in his elbow had broken. (In fact, they neglected to mention it at all, instead allowing him to be hurt in a game rather than fixing it before he got hurt in a game. Sure, he would have been out the same amount of time, but they were clearly interested in the bottom line, trying to squeeze every last dollar out of the fan base for what was supposedly going to be a competitive season, while the FO knew Pollock probably wouldn't make it.)
Tony La Russa on Going from Dugout to Front Office
[video] Dave Magadan Settles in as New Hitting Coach
Around Baseball
Three Counterpoints to Trevor Story's First Three Games (Fangraphs)
I considered putting this under Diamondbacks news, as they appear twice and Zack Greinke also appears twice, but here it is. Story finally failed to hit a home run last night, as the Rockies got obliterated by the Padres.
A Very Early Look at Exit Velocity
Exit velocity can be one way to predict breakout candidates. Today's Knuckleball writer Nick Lampe picks four (unfortunately, none are Diamondbacks.)
Takeaways from Ken Giles' Rough Opening Series
A ridiculously early look at the struggles of Ken Giles, the centerpiece of a trade that drew no criticism despite being terrible. Meanwhile, Vince Velasquez, one quarter of what was given up to get him, tossed six scoreless innings in beating the Mets yesterday.
Today's Game
Arrieta Will Put Scoreless Streak On Line Vs. Diamondbacks
Arrieta hasn't allowed a run over his last 29 (regular season) innings, dating back to September 16th. His last time out against the Diamondbacks, on September 5th, he tossed 8 scoreless innings in a 2-0 Cubs win.