Diamondbacks at Rangers Pregame — May 3, 2023

Zac Gallen of the Diamondbacks chatting with Dane Dunning of the Rangers.

Photo by Evan Thompson/Sport Relay

May 3, 2023

Diamondbacks at Rangers Pregame — May 3, 2023

ARLINGTON, Tex. (May 3) — It is Game Two of a two-game set between the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks and the host Texas Rangers, which is the fifth game of a five-game road trip for the Diamondbacks. For the Rangers, it is the sixth game of a six-game homestand. Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt will start for the Diamondbacks in his major league debut against lefty Andrew Heaney of the Rangers. Prior to the game, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo met with the media on hand. Here are the highlights of his conference.

Diamondbacks Manager Torey Lovullo

Corbin Carroll, who bruised his knee leaping into the wall to attempt a catch Saturday night against the Colorado Rockies, had imaging the day before yesterday. The imaging results were clear, and Carroll is available off the bench today. Whether he starts Friday still is yet to be determined. Manager Torey Lovullo stated that Carroll’s return-to-play is a “normal progression.”

Carroll will be instructed to “be smart” and “pay attention to where (he is)” when he returns to playing the outfield. “But it’s a hard thing for me to ask a young player,” Lovullo said. “He’ll be careful. But I don’t know if he knows what ‘careful’ is. He’s got one speed. We all know what that is.” Retired outfielders and Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr. and Larry Walker were two outfielders who knew one speed — full bore — and suffered injuries crashing into walls, Griffey more often than Walker. Lovullo said Carroll fits into the mold of those two players. “He has one speed,” Lovullo said. “The greatest players that I’ve ever played with or been around had a certain determination. They played one way, and it was their way. It’s all they knew. Corbin fits into that category for sure.”

More on Pfaadt

Brandon Pfaadt, as mentioned in the intro, makes his major league debut today. “I know that he’s calm,” Lovullo reported about Pfaadt with a smile. “He’s prepared. I’m sure there’s gonna be a certain energy to how he’s feeling today. And I told him to embrace it. He’s gonna be nervous; he’s supposed to be nervous. If he doesn’t admit that, he’s a liar. So I said to just be yourself and show us what you can do. And he’ll do that. He’s going to find the sweet spot today when the time is right. And he’s gonna go out and execute a game plan for us.”

Pfaadt was added to the 40-man roster. To make room, the Diamondbacks designated infielder Seth Beer for assignment. When Pfaadt was added to the 26-man active roster, the team optioned right-handed long reliever Peter Solomon to Triple-A Reno to make room.

The Opposition

When asked what the team expects to see out of Andrew Heaney, Lovullo said with a chuckle, “Hopefully not his best stuff.” He continued, “I want to put it on us. … He’s going to be around the plate, going to challenge hitters. But I want to put it on us to counterpunch and have a good approach. Be unpredictable and not be one dimensional, where we’re leaning to the pull side, trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark. I want us to be good hitters today, put it on our dugout. That’s what I think good teams do. They know what the pitcher is capable of doing but go out and execute a game plan. So what that game plan is — I just don’t want us to be predictable. I want us to be good hitters in the middle of the field today.”

Main Photo Credits:

ARLINGTON, Tex. (May 3) — Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (left) chats with Texas Rangers pitcher Dane Dunning prior to their game against one another at Globe Life Field. (Photo by Evan Thompson/Sport Relay)