Diamondbacks lefty hitters look to hone in approach at the plate
SAN DIEGO — Growing up, there was a particular left-handed pitcher that Jake McCarthy faced over and over again.
This pitcher was three years older and might have been taking it easy on him at times, but McCarthy wonders if those at-bats off his older brother, Joe, might help explain a trait that has helped him separate himself from the Diamondbacks’ other left-handed hitting outfielders.
McCarthy entered Tuesday hitting .313/.380/.516 in 71 plate appearances against left-handed pitching, numbers that stand out compared to those of Daulton Varsho and Alek Thomas.
“Maybe that was part of it,” McCarthy said, referring to those backyard at-bats he would take against his brother. “He would always slow it down for me and I would always be full go.”
In recent weeks, McCarthy has remained in the lineup against both right-handers and left-handers. Varsho and Thomas — and since his promotion last week, Corbin Carroll, as well — have found themselves having to share time when a left-hander is on the mound.
Varsho has hit just .222 off lefties, Thomas .212. Carroll is just 1 for 10 so far off left-handed pitching.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, who has alternated the three in recent games, said he is trying to find the most favorable matchups possible for each hitter, matching their strengths with the opposing pitcher’s repertoire.
But he hopes that in the future — whether it’s this season or next — they all become more competitive against lefties, something they will need to do to become legitimate everyday hitters.
“I think an everyday major league player attacks the game no matter who is pitching or what the circumstances are around them,” Lovullo said. “They find a way to execute at a high level. Those are the conversations we’re having.”
McCarthy said he has never paid much attention to whether a righty or a lefty is on the mound. He acknowledges that certain lefties, like one with an unusual arm angle, are too different to ignore, but he suggested that some of the struggles hitters can have is due to their mentality before even stepping to the plate.
He made the point that no one makes a big deal about a right-handed hitter who hits right-handed pitching well.
“If anything, maybe I take it as, ‘A lefty on the mound, I’ve got to see it a little deeper, I’ve got to make sure I’m really picking up the spin correctly,’” McCarthy said. “Maybe I lock it in a little more. To me, there are certain pitches that righties throw that are great pitches and the same thing for lefties, but I don’t really think one is harder than the other.”
Hitting coach Joe Mather said a recent focus for Varsho has been on his posture at the plate. He said Varsho can tend to almost turn his back to the pitcher, creating a “counter-rotation” that ends up making him susceptible to certain pitches.
“That’s what we’ve been working on mostly,” Mather said. “Just keeping his upper body square to home plate as long as possible. I think when he turns his back to a lefty, it’s a long way to come out of it.”
Spotting up
Left-hander Madison Bumgarner said he focused on staying out of the middle of the plate during his most recent outing, in which he gave up three runs (two earned) in five innings against the Brewers on Saturday night.
“I needed to take a step back, I guess, and not be so aggressive in the zone,” he said. “After the last few, I don’t know if ‘careful’ is the right word, but making my pitches.”
Bumgarner said it might have led to him being behind in counts more often than he would have liked, but he felt it was a necessary change after allowing as much hard contact as he had in recent starts. Entering that outing, he had allowed 27 earned runs in his previous 26⅓ innings.
Short hops
• Right-hander Zac Gallen was named the National League Player of the Week after firing 14 scoreless innings. He allowed four hits and two walks while striking out 14.
• The Diamondbacks made more notable minor league promotions this week, moving third baseman Deyvison De Los Santos and infielder/outfielder A.J. Vukovich from High-A to Double-A. Both were performing well, plus the Double-A season is a week longer, giving them more time to develop. De Los Santos, who is 19 years old, opened the season in Low-A.
Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: D-Backs lefty hitters looking to hone in approach at the plate
