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Record: 12-13-1. Change on 2017: -3.
Just when we were beginning to think the Diamondbacks had negotiated the tricky shoals of spring training without any significant health issues... Outfielder Steven Souza suffered an apparent injury to his shoulder, diving for a ball during the fourth innings of this evening’s game at Salt River Fields. He immediately grabbed his arm, and had to be lifted from the game. He walked to the clubhouse under his own steam, but was holding his right arm steady.
According to an announcement by the team after the game, Souza has a strained right shoulder, and will undergo an MRI tomorrow. It’s definitely not what Arizona fans want to see, with Opening Day a week tomorrow. If this proves to be bad enough to require Souza going on the DL, then it most likely opens the door for either Yasmany Tomas or Rey Fuentes to join David Peralta, A.J. Pollock and Jarrod Dyson as regular outfielders on that Opening Day roster. Here’s the video from 12 Sports:
VIDEO: This doesn't look good. Steven Souza Jr. leaves tonight's game in the 4th inning after diving for a ball in right-center. He appears to have injured his shoulder or arm. #12Sports pic.twitter.com/7iVMGV7MLu
— Cameron Cox (@CamCox12) March 22, 2018
As for the rest of the game... Well, the less said, the better, to be honest, although Matt Koch was the only pitcher used who is still on the active roster. Koch had a start that could charitably be described as “up and down”. The first five SF batters to come to the plate against him, all got hits, as the Giants jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first. But he then retirned the next nine batters, six of them by strikeout. Joey Krehbiel allowed two runs in two innings, but the game really got out of control, courtesy of Austin Mason, who faced 11 batters, giving up eight hits and six runs. The D-backs allowed 21 hits... and struck out 15. That double has never been done in a regulation regular season game in MLB history.
Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks were unable to push anyone across the plate, going a mind-boggling 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Peralta reached base three times, on a hit and two walks, though was also picked off second-base; Jake Lamb had a hit and a walk; and Kris Negron got a pair of hits. Tomorrow, the White Sox come to Salt River Fields for another evening game, with Taijuan Walker scheduled to start for Arizona. But we’ll likely be more interested in what the status of Souza is going to be.