Diamondbacks manager Lovullo digests 2nd straight loss to Rockies
Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo addresses how much Saturday’s loss to the Colorado Rockies hurt the team, and he tries to make sense of it.
For most of this season, Corbin Carroll has grabbed the spotlight thanks to his ability to demolish baseballs using his compact frame. But he reminded everyone on Tuesday night, Aug. 19, that speed might still be his loudest tool — and his most exciting.
Carroll ripped around the diamond for a pair of triples and stole a base that led to the game-winning run, leading the Diamondbacks to a 6-5 victory over the Cleveland Guardians at Chase Field.
The win allowed the Diamondbacks to stop a four-game losing skid.
Carroll’s 16 triples are both a career high and a single-season franchise best. He has 42 triples in his career, putting him 10 shy of Stephen Drew’s club record.
“No one gets around the bases faster,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “He’s running 30 feet per second, cutting off edges, doing everything you’re supposed to do fundamentally to get to third base. He’s slugging the baseball. A ball in the gap is not a double. He’s thinking three.”
Carroll has 27 home runs to go with his 16 triples, making him just the 13th player to reach those marks and just the second since 1965. And he has another 35 games left to play.
If he can reach 30 homers and 20 triples, he would join a club occupied only by Willie Mays (35/20 in 1957), Jim Bottomly (31/20 in 1928) and Jimmy Rollins (30/20 in 2007).
Both of Carroll’s triples against the Guardians went into the right-field corner. He smashed another ball in his first at-bat but lined it right at Guardians first baseman Carlos Santana.
“I feel like when I hit second base it’s kind of full-go,” Carroll said. “I feel like most of the time when you hit a triple it’s to right, right-center, so I’m kind of trying to watch it and judge it as you’re running.”
Said Lovullo: “There’s a lot of jet fuel in that. He’s coming. I’ve never seen anybody faster. I played the game, I’ve been a coach a long time. I go back to Deion Sanders and the type of speed I remember him (having).”
With the game tied at 4 in the seventh, Carroll stole second off Guardians reliever Nic Enright, setting the stage for Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s tie-breaking, two-run single. Enright tossed to first twice before throwing the first pitch to Gurriel, who lined it into left to put the Diamondbacks in front for good.
“(If he throws over) a third time, it’s going to score a run if I get back to the bag,” Carroll said. “Just a calculated risk and just was able to get a good jump out of it. It wasn’t just like 100 percent reckless abandon, but able to get a little further off the bag there.”
The steal was the 17th of the season for Carroll, putting him well off his pace from previous years. He stole 54 bases as a rookie in 2023 and followed that with another 35 last year.
Carroll offered good explanations for why he has not run so often.
“I think I’ve been on second, third and hit a bunch of homers,” he said. “It’s a combination of that and having someone with a .950 OPS behind me and not trying to take up their at-bat.”
That someone, of course, is Ketel Marte, who for most of the year has hit second, just behind Carroll, who was leading off. That, however, changed in recent weeks — Marte has been hitting second with Carroll third — something that Carroll said could give him “a little bit more freedom to pick some spots.”
“But,” he said, “with Ketel (behind me), he’s such a good hitter, you want to let him hit.”
Reliever Ryan Thompson progressing toward return
Right-hander Ryan Thompson threw a 21-pitch live batting practice session on Tuesday, Aug. 19, at Salt River Fields and came away encouraged by how he felt, manager Torey Lovullo said.
“He said he felt great,” Lovullo said. “His stuff felt good coming out of his hand. He was throwing it where he wants. He felt like the hitters’ response was really good.”
Thompson has been a key member of the Diamondbacks’ bullpen since he signed with them midway through the 2023 season. He had an up-and-down year this season before landing on the injured list July 6 with a strained scapular in his shoulder.
Lovullo said Thompson joked about striking out a 17-year-old hitter and “(feeling) really good about himself,” but the manager added that he would like Thompson’s next step to come against more advanced hitters.
“Maybe bring him over here (to Chase Field) for some lives against our hitters, where he can get some more direct feedback from the guys verbally,” Lovullo said. “You’ve got a big-league hitter that you’re facing that will tell him when he’s on the mound if the pitch was well-thrown or not. That would be my choice.”
Thompson likely will need go out to one of the club’s minor league affiliates before potentially returning from the injured list, Lovullo said.
Coming up
Wednesday, Aug. 20: At Chase Field, 12:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (12-8, 5.08) vs. Guardians TBA.
Thursday, Aug. 21: Off.
Friday, Aug. 22: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (6-3, 3.58) vs. Reds LHP Nick Lodolo (8-6, 3.05).
Saturday, Aug. 23: At Chase Field, 5:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Nabil Crismatt (0-0, 1.80) vs. Reds RHP Zack Littell (9-8, 3.52).
(This story has been updated to add new information.)