D-backs Preview #115: 8/11 @ Giants

Roster move

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster move:

• Claimed RHP J.B. Wendelken off waivers from the Oakland A’s

I’m giving HeathKBar the credit for this pick-up, since he called the move in yesterday’s Snake Bytes:

From his lips to Mike Hazen’s ears, apparently. The reliever seems like an interesting reclamation project, who missed about two months with an oblique strain. But over his entire major-league career, which started in 2016, he has a 3.62 ERA (117 ERA+) over 112 innings, with a K:BB of 117:47. He’s also under team control through the end of 2024, which is a nice bit of flexibility. He’ll be arbitration eligible next year, for the first time, and while he does not appear to have any minor-league options left, there wasn’t the need for any moves on the 40-man roster to make room. Unless Wendelken is permanently as bad as he’s seemed since coming back off the IL, he has a good chance of sticking with the D-backs.

Torey Lovullo Matt Herges notes

Unfortunately, work prevented me from getting into Torey’s media session today. But I did get to catch Matt Herges’s chat. Here are some thoughts and comments from that:

Madison Bumgarner is commanding everything he’s throwing and is really committed. Last outing, he could throw whatever he wanted to, and it was a lot of fun to watch. Herges was happy to led MadBum take the spotlight on their mutual return to San Francisco. He said Bumgarner told him he was more emotional pitching his last game as a Giant in Dodger Stadium. Everyone on the team appreciates him, but no-one has any idea what he means to San Francisco. It was pretty cool that they wanted to bring him out.

The talent level Zac Gallen has, teams have to go up with a plan, and last night the Giants had an “incredible plan” in the first. You just have to tip your hat to them. He wasn’t super sharp and they made him pay. The Giants were very aggressive: they were hunting something, and when they found it, they didn’t miss. Gallen didn’t command the baseball in the first and their approach worked incredibly: some of their takes were incredible.

Gallen deserves credit for adjusting thereafter. but it happened so quickly and they were so aggressive, it’s hard to adapt. When Herges spoke to Gallen between innings, he’d already made the adjustments. and after that, he flipped the script. He has the whole arsenal. and everything you want in a pitcher. Zac said he needs to pitch the first like he’s closing it out in the ninth. It’s important to get him on a roll, and try to finish the season strong. But he’s a “pitching nerd”, and he’ll be fine, if he stays healthy.

Caleb Smith is out of the rotation, but the team expects him to do what he did last time he went to the pne, and that’s respond. Still discussing what’s going to happen, and isn’t ready to make any announcements there.