Game Recaps<\/p>\n
Diamondbacks Stifle Dodgers For Massive Series Opening Win<\/a> by Alex D\u2019Agostino [SI]<\/p>\n It was not an easy day at the office for Eduardo Rodriguez<\/a>, but you\u2019d never be able to tell that by his pitching line. The left-hander labored heavily in the early going, fending off base traffic, allowing an earned run in the third inning and scraping his way through with the help of some quality infield defense.<\/p>\n \u201cWe made some nice defensive plays behind [Rodriguez], but he pounded the zone. He set his tone with his fastball and then went to work and started pitching from there,\u201d Lovullo said. \u201cOverall, this day was set up by E-Rod and finished by some really heady, smart baseball plays.\u201d<\/p>\n Rodriguez buckled down to throw his seventh Quality Start of the season. He allowed just the one earned run over the course of six innings, striking out three against one walk and five base hits. Two doubles in that troublesome third inning were the only blemish.<\/p>\n D-backs get contributions across the board to top red-hot Dodgers<\/a> by Jesse Borek [DBacks.com]<\/p>\n If the win showed anything, it was that the current iteration of the club is one that will rely on its veterans, upstart youngsters and stars equally. Eduardo Rodriguez, in his 11th MLB campaign, tossed six innings of one-run ball to stymie a scorching-hot Dodgers offense, but he was backed by third-year outfielder Jorge Barrosa<\/a>, who made a pair of running grabs that saw him lay out on the center-field turf. Homers from the 24-year-old Tommy Troy (the first career blast from Arizona\u2019s\u00a0No. 4<\/a>\u00a0prospect), the 35-year-old Nolan Arenado<\/a> and the 32-year-old Ketel Marte<\/a> first tied the game, then gave the D-backs the lead and then iced it, respectively.<\/p>\n Once the bullpen door swung open, Taylor Clarke<\/a>, Brandyn Garcia<\/a> and Paul Sewald<\/a> all delivered scoreless frames.<\/p>\n Diamondbacks News<\/p>\n Corbin Carroll says mom took care of Seattle homecoming; has caught up with Alek Thomas<\/a> by Payne Moses [Arizona Sports]<\/p>\n With the Dodgers in town for a four-game series and top of mind, it will mark the first time the clubs meet since former D-backs outfielder Alek Thomas was shipped to L.A.<\/p>\n Carroll and Thomas made their respective MLB debuts within four months of each other in the 2022 season, and the former said he\u2019s had a few conversations with the latter since the May 12 trade.<\/p>\n \u201cJust kind of asked him how he was liking what he was working on, when he was doing his swing stuff. And yeah, he was complimentary. He said he liked what (the Dodgers\u2019 coaching staff) were working on and saw he got into maybe an ACL game the other day, maybe trending towards getting back to really competing,\u201d Carroll said. \u201cI always wish a guy like that you\u2019ve played so long with and had so much, just so many experiences with, you wish him all the best.\u201d<\/p>\n Diamondbacks option Tim Tawa, make room for Pavin Smith\u2019s return<\/a> by Wendy Lopez [Burn City Sports]<\/p>\n After going 11-2 across four series against the Colorado Rockies<\/a> and San Francisco Giants<\/a>, the Snakes couldn\u2019t carry that momentum into their series against the Seattle Mariners<\/a>. They suffered a three-game sweep, marking the club\u2019s struggles against teams above .500, as they are 8-19 against such opponents.<\/p>\n Facing the defending champions, who are currently 38-21, the challenge only gets tougher.<\/p>\n The first baseman does have strong numbers against Los Angeles<\/a>, however, hitting .364 with a .409 slugging percentage over seven games (22 at-bats) against the Dodgers last year. Having Smith back could help spark an offense that needs to break out of its slump following the Seattle series.<\/p>\n Shohei Ohtani Creates a Massive Challenge for Diamondbacks<\/a> by Jack Sommers [SI]<\/p>\n Shohei Ohtani is making a serious run at winning the NL Cy Young award. Ohtani threw six hitless innings against the Rockies May 27. He has the lowest ERA of any pitcher with 50 innings or more pitched (0.82). He\u2019s allowed one earned run in his last 18 innings and given up seven hits,<\/p>\n D-backs No. 11 prospect Mena set to undergo shoulder surgery<\/a> by Jesse Borek [MLB]<\/p>\n Before his 2026 season could ever really get out of the starting blocks,\u00a0Cristian Mena<\/a>\u00a0has seen it likely come to a close. The\u00a0D-backs\u2019 No. 11 prospect<\/a>\u00a0is set to undergo shoulder surgery in the coming days, a procedure that manager Torey Lovullo admitted is likely to knock him out for the rest of the year.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been an arduous road back to the mound for one of the D-backs\u2019 prized pitching prospects. Mena last appeared in game action last June 6, working an inning out of the club\u2019s bullpen, before landing on the injured list with a right shoulder strain the following day. Five days prior \u2014 one year ago to the day \u2014 he\u00a0picked up his first Major League win<\/a>\u00a0after tossing a pair of scoreless innings against the Nationals.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Around the League<\/p>\n 10 big questions as Trade Deadline season approaches<\/a> by Mark Feinsand [MLB]<\/p>\n Which teams are likely to be sellers?<\/p>\n The Giants and Rockies were the only teams more than seven games out of a playoff spot entering the week, and given the National League\u2019s performance this season \u2014 11 of 15 teams have winning records \u2014 it seems unlikely that either San Francisco<\/a> or Colorado will climb back into the race.<\/p>\n MLBPA negotiator sees clear distance between 2 sides of CBA<\/a> by Alden Gonzalez [ESPN]<\/p>\n Said Meyer: \u201cWe do not accept the premise that there\u2019s some existential crisis going on.\u201d<\/p>\n Even if he did, the MLBPA is adamant that a salary cap won\u2019t fix it. The league is adamant that it would. A middle ground is elusive, and where the two sides go from here is hard to determine. In his statement, Caplin said the league is \u201cready to listen if the MLBPA wants to counter our proposal at the bargaining table.\u201d Meyer said no meeting is scheduled but would be \u201cin the near future,\u201d adding that the two sides can still bargain on several non-economic issues.<\/p>\n He believes players will remain united against a cap.<\/p>\n \u201cOur union has never been broken and never will be,\u201d Meyer said. \u201cOur players have what they have, including being the only sport that doesn\u2019t have this ultimate restriction, the salary cap, because our players have always been the most unified. And that\u2019s gonna continue.\u201d<\/p>\n The Tigers Have Collapsed, but Not Because of Their Rotation<\/a> by Jay Jaffe [FanGraphs]<\/p>\n Jansen and company certainly share a lot of responsibility for the team\u2019s struggles in one-run games, but Detroit<\/a>\u2019s biggest problem has been an increasingly decrepit offense that\u2019s scoring a major league-low 3.72 runs per game, with a very respectable March and April followed by an abysmal May:\u00a0<\/p>\n In their last 19 games, the Tigers have averaged just 2.52 runs, scoring more than four just once; they haven\u2019t scored more than six runs in a game since May 3. While left fielder\u00a0Riley Greene<\/a>\u00a0(.301\/.391\/.426, 134 wRC+), shortstop\/third baseman\u00a0Kevin McGonigle<\/a>\u00a0(.286\/.390\/.410, 130 wRC+), and catcher\u00a0Dillon Dingler<\/a>(.226\/.313\/.458, 115 wRC+) have been quite effective overall, Greene and Dingler were the team\u2019s only two regulars with a wRC+ of 100 or better in May; everybody else besides McGonigle had a wRC+ of 82 or lower. First baseman\u00a0Spencer Torkelson<\/a>\u00a0(.214\/.317\/.403, 104 wRC+ overall) has cooled off after a strong start, going from a 123 wRC+ and a 28.3% strikeout rate in March and April to an 82 wRC+ with a 36.3% strikeout rate in May. Third baseman\/designated hitter\u00a0Colt Keith<\/a>\u00a0is in the midst of a power outage, batting .280\/.324\/.342 (88 wRC+) without a homer this season; he sank from a 114 wRC+ in March and April to 57 in May. Beyond that, injuries to Torres,\u00a0Parker Meadows<\/a>,\u00a0Zach McKinstry<\/a>,\u00a0Javier B\u00e1ez<\/a>, and\u00a0Kerry Carpenter<\/a>\u00a0have been a significant part of the story, costing the team depth in both the infield and outfield.<\/p>\n 2026-27 Club Options: NL West<\/a> by Anthony Franco [MLB Trade Rumors]<\/p>\n