Diamondbacks, Lovullo make statements in winning series vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Unhappy with what he saw as an uneven strike zone, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo had to duck under a railing to make his way onto the field in the third inning on Wednesday afternoon. It was a sure sign of what was coming next, at least in the eyes of third baseman Josh Rojas.
“I knew he was getting tossed,” Rojas said later. “Yeah. I loved it. I think the guys loved it.”
How much Lovullo’s ejection factored into what would become a 7-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers is up for debate, but it was one of many feel-good moments from Wednesday and the homestand as a whole, a week in which the Diamondbacks won a pair of series from a couple of tough opponents.
It also was a homestand that provided more encouraging signs for a team hoping to take a step into contention this season.
There was right-hander Drey Jameson firing four shutout innings on Wednesday in his first start of the season, the third consecutive impressive outing from a Diamondbacks starting pitcher.
There was Lourdes Gurriel Jr. delivering a three-hit game, including a third-inning, three-run shot for his first home run of the season. After getting five hits in his first eight games, Gurriel has gone 6 for 13 with three extra-base hits three games since.
There was a bullpen that showed signs of weakness but ultimately held strong, another indication that this year’s Diamondbacks might have the sort of back-end arms to protect leads that it lacked a year ago.
It added up to a rubber-match win over the Brewers after the Diamondbacks had taken three of four from the Dodgers to open the homestand.
Lovullo’s beef in the third inning with home plate umpire Gabe Morales revolved around calls Jameson was not getting — and those that had been going against Diamondbacks hitters.
After a first-pitch fastball to the Brewers’ Mike Brosseau was called a ball with one out in the third, Jameson seemed to tense up on the mound, prompting Lovullo to start barking at Morales from the dugout.
After the two quickly exchanged words, Lovullo bounded out of the dugout and was quickly tossed. The Bally Sports broadcast aired snippets of Lovullo’s complaints; it sounded as if he was telling Morales he had missed seven ball/strike calls already in the game.
“Gabe is a good man, Gabe is a good umpire,” Lovullo said later. “But I felt like I had enough of certain calls that were made. I knew once I left the dugout that I was going to be ejected.”
Jameson appreciated the message his manager sent. He said he went into Lovullo’s office later and delivered a message of his own.
“I just went in and said, ‘Thanks for having my back,’” Jameson said. “I think that’s big as a manager when he sees me out there fighting and I’m not getting calls. Not necessarily to get ejected, but to have my back.”
Jameson said he reviewed the pitches later and found two pitches “to the exact same location” that were called differently.
“It’s either you call them both balls or you call them both strikes,” he said. “They were right there. It’s not that hard.”
Adding to Jameson’s frustration, he said, was the fact that he was on a tight pitch count. Making his first start after three relief appearances, Jameson was removed after just 54 pitches.
“We just didn’t want to extend him beyond that,” Lovullo said. “We’ve got to rebuild him up. We’ve got to be careful.”
Almost two full weeks into their season, the Diamondbacks are 8-5. They split a tough, six-game road trip through Los Angeles and San Diego to open the season, then returned home to win five of seven at Chase Field. They sit alone in first place atop the National League West, and there are encouraging signs throughout the roster.
Their offense has showed the ability to create runs with its speed and to leave the yard when need be. The latter happened on Wednesday not just with Gurriel, but in the bottom of the seventh when Corbin Carroll delivered a two-run, opposite-field homer that came after the Brewers had cut into the Diamondbacks’ lead in the top of the inning.
The Diamondbacks’ pitching staff has also sustained blows but showed it can recover from them. The rotation started slow, but in recent days right-handers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly have begun to get on track. Then came Jameson’s outing on Wednesday, which helped ease concerns about the impact of Zach Davies’ oblique injury.
The bullpen’s performance was nearly as encouraging. Though right-hander Luis Frias got into trouble in the seventh, left-hander Andrew Chafin kept it from spiraling out of control.
Chafin entered with the bases loaded, none out and one run already in, and after giving up a two-run single to Chrisitian Yelich, he induced a double-play ball and a soft liner to end the inning. Miguel Castro (eighth) and Scott McGough (ninth) worked scoreless innings to finish the victory.
McGough activated off paternity list
Right-hander Scott McGough was activated off the paternity list on Wednesday. He had been placed on the list Tuesday, ahead of the birth of his second child, Griffin Scott.
McGough has been a critical back-end piece in the Diamondbacks' new-look bullpen, along with Andrew Chafin and Miguel Castro. He gave up back-to-back home runs, including a walk-off, in San Diego last week but has also recorded a save and three holds in five appearances.
In the corresponding move, the Diamondbacks optioned right-hander Carlos Vargas to Triple-A Reno. Armed with a fastball that touches 100 mph, Vargas had struck out seven batters in 4 2/3 innings, but had also walked four and been hit hard, allowing a pair of home runs, including one in Tuesday night's loss to the Brewers.
Brewers at Diamondbacks
When: 12:40 p.m., Wednesday.
Where: Chase Field.
Pitchers: Diamondbacks RHP Drey Jameson (2-0, 2.16) vs. Brewers RHP Janson Junk (1-0, 0.90)*.
TV/Radio: Bally Sports Arizona/KTAR-AM (620), KHOV-FM (105.1).
Jameson will be making his first start after coming out of the bullpen for the first two weeks. He is replacing RHP Zach Davies, who is out with a left oblique strain. … It is unclear how many pitches Jameson will have at his disposal. He built his pitch count until the low 70s during spring training and threw 66 pitches in his first relief outing on March 31. … Jameson has allowed just one hit off his slider this season while getting whiffs at an astounding 72.2 percent rate. … Junk is expected to start in place of RHP Brandon Woodruff, who was placed on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation. … Junk, 27, had given up just one run in 10 innings for Triple-A Nashville, walking three and striking out seven. … In parts of two seasons in the majors with the Angels, Junk has a 4.74 ERA in 24 2/3 innings.
*Stats from Triple-A
Coming up
Thursday: Off.
Friday: At Miami, 3:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Madison Bumgarner (0-1, 7.27) vs. Marlins LHP Trevor Rogers (0-2, 6.00).
Saturday: At Miami, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (1-0, 4.91) vs. Brewers LHP Braxton Garrett (0-0, 4.70).
Sunday: At Miami, 10:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (1-1, 4.58) vs. Brewers RHP Sandy Alcantara (1-1, 5.79).
Tuesday game recap: Brewers break up Merrill Kelly's no-hit bid
About the Brewers
Milwaukee struggled down the stretch last year, ultimately falling one game short of a wild card spot and seven games short of the NL Central division title after a hot start. The early returns in 2023 have been positive, though. After losing on Opening Day, the Brewers broke off a six-game win streak, including a sweep of the Mets. They enter this week’s series at 7-2. 3B Brian Anderson and CF Garrett Mitchell have led the way thus far with three home runs apiece. 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich got his season rolling Sunday with his first homer. Ace Brandon Woodruff has been dominant, with just one run allowed through two starts. He’s struck out 12 in 11 1/3 innings. That should create a mismatch on Wednesday against the struggling Madison Bumgarner.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks, Lovullo make statements in winning series vs. Brewers
