D-backs Preview #124: 8/21 vs. Rockies

In case you missed my comment on the recap, the D-backs are now mathematically eliminated from the NL West. Now, you may say, they’re 37¹⁄₂ back of the Giants, but still have 39 to play. How can that be? The reason is, the 22 games the Giants, Dodgers and Padres have between them, which somebody has to win. This means at least one of the three teams will end up with at least 81 victories, and that’s more than the D-backs can now achieve. Next up? Elimination from the playoffs entirely. But that might be a while. We’re 25¹⁄₂ games back of the Reds and Padres, who are now tied for the second wild-card spot. With no games between that pair, looks like our elimination number is about 13.

This afternoon sees a Zac Gallen start. These have not gone well of late. Over 12 starts since his last victory- and that was back in April - the Diamondbacks have gone 1-11 in those games. Gallen personally is 0-7 with a 5.88 ERA. His ERA is even higher (6.17) since his return from the injured list in June. That also coincides with the crackdown on foreign substances - though obviously, correlation is not causation. But that was something about which Gallen was vocal when he returned from his rehab. Some may be bad luck: a BABIP of .325, thirty points above league average. But 12 home-runs in 46.2 innings is also a concerning problem. We’ll see what today brings.

Torey Lovullo notes

• Luke Weaver felt good after his rehab start last night, ( 4 1/3 IP, 73 IP despite getting knocked around a bit the 2nd time through the order. Pitching his next game in MLB is “on the table” according to Torey.
• Zac Gallen’s struggles: “Sometimes it is a little bit of a mystery.” He talked about how well he pitched in the past and he’s an easy bet going forward, but didn’t offer anything specific about what they think needs to be fixed.
• Caleb Smith suspension. No word from the league. He’s with the team and available to pitch.
• Monday starter TBD, possible bullpen game.

Torey Lovullo audio [or link]