Diamondbacks vs. Royals Pregame — April 24, 2023
PHOENIX — It’s Game One of a three-game set between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals, which is also the fifth game of a seven-game homestand for the Diamondbacks. Prior to the game, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo and Royals manager Matt Quatraro met (separately) with the media on hand.
Torey Lovullo, Diamondbacks Manager
The Diamondbacks optioned Drey Jameson to Triple-A Reno to make room on the active roster for Tommy Henry, tonight’s starting pitcher. Lovullo said it was “something that we talked about last night postgame. It was the lack of fastball consistency (and) his inability to command secondary stuff. We felt like he was becoming one-dimensional out over the plate. And we needed to get back into that form that we saw last year and have seen in spurts this year.” He added that Jameson needs to “go prepare to get dominant.”
Lovullo said that moving him from relief to the rotation did not have anything to do with Jameson’s struggles. He added that Jameson agreed with that assessment last night. In addition, Jameson will remain as a starter both in Reno and when he comes back up.
Henry is not here as a stopgap maneuver or a temporary fix. “He’s here to pitch and help us win games,” Lovullo said.
Josh Rojas is not in the lineup tonight due to a scheduled day off.
Injury Updates
Christian Walker will be available to pinch-hit and is “very close” to a full return.
Carson Kelly will “resume some baseball” and have “a little more baseball activity” this week.
Kyle Lewis is also increasing his baseball activity.
Zach Davies is throwing at 60 feet now, “which is a good sign,” but there is still no timeframe on his return.
Matt Quatraro, Royals Manager
Right fielder MJ Melendez is still out with lower back spasms. He will return when they subside, probably in a few days.
With the new “balanced schedule,” preparation for an interleague opponent will be tough in this, the first year. What also makes the Diamondbacks tough, according to Quatraro, is that they use the whole roster. “There’s a lot of prep that goes into it to see how they’re going to use the guys. What kind of game they’re playing, what the pitchers do, and how they’re going to attack us. There’s a lot of work that goes into it.”
On the flip side, only one current Diamondback has faced Royals starter Brad Keller. Quatraro chuckled and said “I hope so” when asked if that might balance things out. He went on to say, “We’re very comfortable with Brad on the mound, whether they’ve faced him or not, but they have a good lineup. They’re gonna present a lot of challenges for our whole staff.”
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Main Photo Credits:
PHOENIX, Apr. 24 — The Kansas City Royals take batting practice before facing the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. (Photo by Evan Thompson/Sport Relay)
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