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Roster moves
Hey, it’s been, what... two days since the last batch? Rumor has it, Peter Jackson had optioned the D-backs’ May transaction log for his next trilogy. Anyway, the Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves:
- Selected LHP Ryan Buchter (No. 52) from Triple-A Reno.
- Transferred RHP Luke Weaver to the 60-day injured list (strained right shoulder).
- Optioned RHP Corbin Martin to Reno following last night’s game.
The starting pitcher for tonight’s game has also changed, with Matt Peacock being replaced by Jon Duplantier. Peacock is suffering from the old, vague standby of “illness”, but the lack of any roster move suggests it’s probably not serious. Given the way 2021 has gone, however, I would not be surprised to hear Torey Lovullo announce that Matt is suffering from a touch of Ebola.
The Diamondbacks continue to languish in Taco Hell. They have now lost the last 23 games they played where free tacos were not provided. It looked like that streak might be broken last night, with Arizona taking a 4-0 lead into the sixth, and 4-2 into the eighth. The bullpen, however, had a different agenda, and Arizona now owns a losing streak which hasn’t been surpassed since 2004. I kinda want them to lose this evening, purely so we get a “These go to eleven...” headline for the recap. It will also provide easy fodder for tomorrow’s preview. Hey, I’m all about the easy life...
Tonight’s alternative to the D-backs game. The Friends reunion mentioned yesterday is actually this evening, so that’ll be what we’re watching. Last night was Roger Waters’ The Wall: mostly footage from the 2010-13 tour he did, taking Pink Floyd’s classic album around the world. I’m not a big fan of Floyd, but The Wall always impressed me. This staging must have been a real experience in person, and the film does a good job of capturing the spectacle. Rather less impressive were the bits where Waters tours Europe in a car, apparently visiting the battlefields and burial sites of his father and grandfather. If there was a point to that, beyond “War is bad, m’kay?”, it largely escaped me.
Torey Lovullo notes
- Matt Peacock had a night of discomfort - not COVID related. Fortunate that Jon Duplantier was here and it was virtually his day, making it an easy decision. We’re all excited to see what he can do.
- Corbin Martin - There were certain things we challenged him with, such as finishing off hitters quickly, landing breaking balls, etc. When he does that, he’s very, very good, but he needs more consistency and he can do that better in player development. We learned a lot about him, and he is built of the right things.
- He doesn’t know yet what the ripple effect to the rotation will be of Peacock’s absence, they’ll figure it out once Matt is healthy again. “You can’t predict anything right now.”
- Ryan Buchter has been throwing the ball really well in Reno, and in spring took the news of his demotion very well. He managed to pick himself up and is deserving of this opportunity. We love his experience and his ability to get both left- and right-handed hitters out.
- He discussed Tim Locastro staying at second on the fly ball in the ninth. “I felt like it was a mis-read, Tim could have tagged and got to third”. However, they were going to be cautious in that situation, and did not consider a double-steal.
- “We know that we are walking through a very tough time right now, but I want our guys to block out any distractions, doubts or curiosity about where we’re going or who we are, and play the game at the highest level we know how. To look beyond today is not really what I’m going to ask for from these guys.”