Diamondbacks Report: Bumgarner Era Over; Split Road Trip, Padres Next
PHOENIX, Apr. 20 — The Arizona Diamondbacks have returned home after their second road trip of the season, taking one of three from the Miami Marlins and two of three from the St. Louis Cardinals. They now face the San Diego Padres in a four-game Thursday-to-Sunday series. Both the Padres and Diamondbacks have big news — Fernando Tatis Jr. is back in the Padres lineup after serving his suspension, and the Diamondbacks have parted ways with veteran left-hander Madison Bumgarner.
Diamondbacks – Marlins Series Summary
Game One matched a pair of lefties, Madison Bumgarner for the Diamondbacks and Trevor Rogers for the Marlins. One bad inning was the story of this game, as Bumgarner pitched a scoreless first three innings before allowing a pair of singles to lead off the fourth. After a liner to short, a ground ball to third had the makings of an inning-ending, shutout-preserving double play. However, the throw to first was a split second too late. The Marlins rattled off four straight hits to take a 5–0 lead. Bumgarner pitched a scoreless fifth before leaving the game. The Diamondbacks managed a run in the seventh, with a baserunning mistake at third base by Corbin Carroll reducing the possibility of more scoring. Once the back end of the Marlins ‘pen came in the game, it was over, as they have been lights out so far this season.
Games Two and Three
The story of Game Two was missed opportunities. In the first inning, a hit batsman and a double put runners on second and third with one out. But only one scored, that coming via sacrifice fly. A sinking liner to shallow center had a chance to do more damage, but Jazz Chisholm Jr. robbed Evan Longoria of an RBI single with a diving catch. The Diamondbacks had runners on first and second with one out in the third but came up empty as Lourdes Gurriel Jr. grounded into a side-retiring double play.
But the biggest missed opportunity came in the seventh. The Diamondbacks had already scored one run in the inning and had a tremendous opportunity to score more, as Gurriel had the bases loaded and two outs. But Andrew Nardi struck him out, stranding the runners. They did not have another baserunner the rest of the game, so when Scott McGough ran into a tough-luck blown save, the Diamondbacks could not recover.
The story of Game Three was dominance, namely by Zac Gallen. He retired the first 13 batters he faced, losing the perfect game one out into the fifth. Ultimately, Gallen pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing no runs on two hits while hitting a batter and striking out seven. Of the 23 batters he faced, he retired 20. Offensively, the Diamondbacks had some trouble with Sandy Alcantara early on, but a catching error by Alcantara on the leadoff hitter of the seventh helped lead to a four-run inning that put the game out of reach.
Diamondbacks – Cardinals Series Summary
Game One with the Cardinals matched Merrill Kelly with Jack Flaherty. It was a pitchers’ duel until the seventh, when Flaherty gave up a leadoff home run followed by a double and walk. Reliever Andre Pallante poured gasoline on the fire, walking his first hitter to load the bases for Pavin Smith, who launched the first grand slam of his professional career. The Cardinals scored two consolation runs in the bottom of the eighth to make the game seem closer than it really was.
Games Two and Three
The extraordinarily bizarre Game Two hinged on one big inning. The Diamondbacks batted around in the fourth, their largest single-inning scoring output of the season. This was highlighted by Nick Ahmed golfing a double on a pitch that bounced. A three-run ninth by the Cardinals made the game too close for comfort, with the Diamondbacks hanging on for a 9–8 win.
Madison Bumgarner dominated the headlines of Game Three, as he got shelled for seven runs on seven hits, walking four and striking out two across three innings. Long man Peter Solomon did even worse, coughing up seven runs on four hits, walking four and striking out two across 2 1/3 innings. This turned out to be Bumgarner’s last-ever appearance in a Diamondbacks uniform, as the team announced Thursday morning that they designated him for assignment.
Pitching Matchups between the Diamondbacks and Padres
Game One
Game One features a pair of right-handers, Michael Wacha for the Padres and Ryne Nelson for the Diamondbacks. Wacha has made seven appearances (all starts) in his career against the Diamondbacks, going 2–1 with a 3.82 ERA, striking out 34 and walking 17 with a 1.415 WHIP and three homers allowed across 35 1/3 innings. Of Nelson’s six career appearances (all starts), three — exactly half — have come against the Padres. He has gone 1–1 against them with a 3.12 ERA, striking out 13 and walking seven with a 1.154 WHIP and three homers allowed across 17 1/3 innings.
Matchups with Current Rosters
Of the current Diamondbacks, only six have ever faced Wacha. Gurriel has 12 plate appearances, going 2-for-12 with a double and five strikeouts. Evan Longoria has seven plate appearances, going 2-for-7 with two strikeouts. Nick Ahmed is 0-for-5 in his career against Wacha with a walk (intentional) and a strikeout. The remaining three to have faced Wacha are Ketel Marte (0-for-3), Gabriel Moreno (1-for-2), and Josh Rojas (0-for-1 with a strikeout).
Conversely, almost every Padres position player has faced Nelson. In their matchups, Juan Soto is 2-for-7 with two homers, three RBI, two walks, and a strikeout. Manny Machado is 2-for-8 with a dinger, three RBI, a walk, and two strikeouts. Jake Cronenworth is 0-for-7 with a walk and a strikeout. Ha-Seong Kim is 1-for-7 with two strikeouts. Trent Grisham is 1-for-5 with three strikeouts. The remaining five Padres to have faced Nelson are Austin Nola (0-for-4), Xander Bogaerts (1-for-3 with a double and a strikeout), Matt Carpenter (1-for-1 with a walk), Rougned Odor (1-for-2 with a double), and Jose Azocar (0-for-2 with a strikeout).
Game Two
Game Two also features a pair of right-handers, Seth Lugo for the Padres and Zac Gallen for the Diamondbacks. Lugo has only made one start against the Diamondbacks — June 15, 2018, while with the New York Mets. He allowed five runs on eight hits, two of which were homers, walking one and striking out seven across five innings in a 7–3 loss. However, he has also made nine relief appearances in his career against the Diamondbacks. In these ten appearances, he has gone 0–1 with a 4.34 ERA, striking out 23 and walking one with a 1.286 WHIP and three homers allowed across 18 2/3 innings. Gallen has nine career appearances, all starts, against the Padres. He has gone 1–3 against them with a 4.22 ERA, striking out 46 and walking 25 with a 1.408 WHIP and 11 homers allowed across 49 innings.
Matchups with Current Rosters
Seven current Diamondbacks have faced Lugo. In their matchups, Marte is 1-for-6 with a double and two strikeouts. Ahmed is 1-for-6 with two strikeouts. Longoria is 2-for-4. Walker is 0-for-3 with an intentional walk. The three remaining Diamondbacks who have faced Lugo are Gurriel, 0-for-4 with an RBI and a strikeout; Pavin Smith, 1-for-2 with a double; and Josh Rojas, 0-for-1.
Ten current Padres have faced Gallen. In their matchups, Jake Cronenworth is 6-for-17 with two doubles, a homer, three RBI, four walks, and three strikeouts. Trent Grisham is 3-for-18 with two doubles, a homer, two RBI, two walks, a plunking, and four strikeouts. Manny Machado is 3-for-14 with a homer, two RBI, a walk, and three strikeouts. Juan Soto is 3-for-10 with a double, a homer, two RBI, two walks, and two strikeouts. Ha-Seong Kim is 3-for-9 with a double, an RBI on a sacrifice fly, and a strikeout. Austin Nola is 1-for-5 with an RBI and a walk. The four remaining Padres to have faced Gallen are Carpenter, 0-for-6 with a strikeout; Nelson Cruz, 1-for-5 with a homer, an RBI, and two strikeouts; Bogaerts, 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBI; and Azocar, 1-for-2 with a double.
Game Three
Game Three is yet another matchup of right-handers, Joe Musgrove for the Padres and Merrill Kelly for the Diamondbacks. Musgrove has made 10 appearances, nine starts, against the Diamondbacks. In these ten appearances, he has gone 3–2 with a 3.83 ERA, striking out 49 and walking 11 with a 1.181 WHIP and six homers allowed across 51 2/3 innings. Kelly has 13 career appearances, all starts, against the Padres. He has gone 8–2 against them with a 2.61 ERA, striking out 68 and walking 22 with a 1.120 WHIP and eight homers allowed across 72 1/3 innings.
Matchups with Current Rosters
Eleven current Diamondbacks have faced Musgrove. In their matchups, Marte is 4-for-18 with a double, an RBI, four strikeouts, and a walk. Longoria is 3-for-19 with three doubles, an RBI, and three strikeouts. Walker is 4-for-16 with a homer, an RBI, and two strikeouts. Ahmed is 3-for-10 with an RBI, two walks, and two strikeouts. Rojas is 2-for-11 with a triple, a homer, two RBI, and four strikeouts. Smith is 3-for-7 with two strikeouts. The remaining five Diamondbacks to have faced him are McCarthy, who is 2-for-6 with a double; Carroll, who is 3-for-4 with a walk; Perdomo, who is 0-for-4; Thomas, who is 0-for-4; and Jose Herrera, 0-for-2.
Ten current Padres have faced Kelly. In their matchups, Machado is 5-for-32 with a double, two RBI, three walks, seven strikeouts, and a sacrifice fly. Cronenworth is 4-for-18 with a double, a homer, two RBI, two walks, and two strikeouts. Grisham is 4-for-18 with a double and six strikeouts. Soto is 2-for-8 with a double and a walk. Carpenter is 0-for-4. The remaining five Padres to have faced Kelly are Kim, 1-for-3 with a homer and an RBI; Odor, 1-for-3 with a homer, an RBI, and two strikeouts; Bogaerts, 1-for-3; Cruz, 0-for-3; and Nola, 1-for-2 with a strikeout.
Game Four
Game Four, another righty matchup, features Yu Darvish for the Padres and Drey Jameson for the Diamondbacks. Darvish has made 16 appearances, all starts, against the Diamondbacks. He has gone 7–3 with a 3.47 ERA, striking out 119 and walking 29 with a 1.136 WHIP and 15 homers allowed across 90 2/3 innings. Jameson has one start and one relief appearance against the Padres. In his start, he allowed no runs on two hits, striking out five while walking one across seven innings. His relief appearance saw him last two innings, allowing one run on three hits with two strikeouts, a walk, and a homer by Trent Grisham.
Matchups with Current Rosters
Twelve current Diamondbacks have faced Darvish. In their matchups, Marte is 9-for-29 with a double, two homers, two RBI, nine strikeouts, and two walks. Longoria is 5-for-30 with two doubles, two homers, six RBI, nine strikeouts, and a walk. Walker is 6-for-25 with a double, two homers, five RBI, two walks, seven strikeouts, a plunking, and a sacrifice fly. Rojas is 3-for-19 with a double, an RBI, three walks, five strikeouts, and a sacrifice fly. Smith is 5-for-15 with four doubles, three RBI, two walks, and four strikeouts. Perdomo is 0-for-10 with two walks, five strikeouts, a sacrifice bunt, and a plunking. Thomas is 2-for-11 with a double, two walks, and two strikeouts.
The five remaining Diamondbacks to have faced Darvish are Ahmed, 2-for-10 with a double, an RBI, a walk, and four strikeouts; McCarthy, 1-for-7 with two walks, two strikeouts, and a plunking; Carroll, 3-for-7 with a double, a homer, an RBI, and two strikeouts; Gurriel, 0-for-3; and Herrera, 1-for-2 with a strikeout.
Ten current Padres have faced Jameson. In their matchups, Cronenworth is 1-for-4 with a double. Soto is 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. Grisham is 1-for-3 with a homer, an RBI, and a strikeout. Kim is 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. Machado is 0-for-3, as is Nola. The remaining four Padres to face Jameson are Cruz, 0-for-2 with a strikeout; Odor, 0-for-1; Bogaerts, 0-for-1; and Carpenter, who walked in his only plate appearance.
Recent History between the Diamondbacks and Padres
The Padres and Diamondbacks have only played each other twice so far in 2023. They split the series, which took place Monday and Tuesday, April 3 and 4, in San Diego.
Over the last two seasons, the Padres have dominated. In 2021, when the Diamondbacks reeled their way to a 52–110 record, the Padres beat them 11 out of 19 teams. The Padres dominated even more in 2022, when they took 14 out of 19 from the Diamondbacks.
Diamondbacks and Padres Storylines
The big storyline for the Padres is the return of Fernando Tatis Jr., who has served out his 80-game PED suspension. His first game back is the first game of the series. For the Diamondbacks, the major story is the end of the Madison Bumgarner Era.
Outlook for the Diamondbacks and Padres
The Diamondbacks (11–8) are trying to stay in first, while the Padres (9–11) — two and a half games out — are trying to climb out of third place. They are currently a half-game behind the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers (9–10). These four games, being divisional games in April, can never be overemphasized. A series win for the Diamondbacks will not only give further evidence that the team is for real but can also give them some breathing room in the standings. A series win for the Padres will bring them past the Diamondbacks in the standings and, depending on how the Dodgers do, could put them in first.
NL West Slate for the Weekend
Every team in the National League West is playing a four-game series this weekend. The Colorado Rockies play a Thursday-to-Sunday road series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Also playing a road series are the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have a Thursday-to-Sunday clash with the Chicago Cubs. The San Francisco Giants are at home for a Thursday-to-Sunday series with the New York Mets.
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