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Diamondbacks News
Caleb Smith had one hell of a start, shutting out the Dodgers through six innings. Unfortunately, Trevor Bauer was able to match and surpass that, shutting out the Diamondbacks through seven. The bullpens were less evenly matched as Joe Mantiply continued to be terrible, which is where the Dodgers took a commanding three-run lead, essentially putting the game out of reach of the Diamondbacks.
Diamondbacks Set Another Losing Streak Record
The Diamondbacks loss to the Dodgers on Friday night was the team’s 15th consecutive loss overall, setting a new team record. Caleb Smith’s fine outing was not enough to stop the bleeding, though hopefully, it did at least give the bullpen arms some rest so that they are ready to support stopping the streak on Saturday if the opportunity should present itself.
Diamondbacks Fall to Former Diamondbacks
A.J. Pollock recorded the Dodgers first hit of the night in the fourth inning, a 100 mph single into left field. Steven Souza Jr. hit a tie-breaking home run in the eighth inning, plating himself as the game’s winning run. Trevor Bauer, sans sticky, threw seven shutout innings, allowing only three hits (including an impressive blast off the center field wall by Josh Rojas in the bottom of the first) while striking out eight.
Other Baseball News
What Will Baseball Be Like After Crackdown
Spin rates will be down, but it seems unlikely that stopping pitchers from using foreign substances is going to be enough to shift the balance of power back in the hitters’ direction enough to have the impact MLB needs.
There Are Still a Lot of Home Runs
It isn’t just pitchers throwing harder or pitchers using sticky, the three true outcomes approach to playing the game is more prevalent than ever, including in college ball and other amateur leagues.
Shohei Ohtani Commits to HR Derby - Looks Ready
Shohei Ohtani is the first player to commit to participating in the 2021 HR Derby. After announcing he would participate, he tagged the Tigers for two long balls on Friday night.
Each Team’s Ideal HR Derby Candidate
The fact that Eduardo Escobar is tagged as the ideal candidate for Arizona probably speaks volumes to just how Arizona’s season is going.