Arizona Diamondbacks' Jake Lamb continues to sit vs. lefties
Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb seemed to find a rhythm offensively on the team’s most recent road swing, clubbing 12 extra-base hits and carrying a .657 slugging percentage and .343 average during the trip, but he hasn’t had many chances to build off that momentum at home.
Three of the first four opposing starters on this homestand have been lefties, including the Cardinals’ Jaime Garcia who went against right-hander Zack Greinke on Monday, and in those three games, the Diamondbacks have opted to station someone else – usually Brandon Drury – at third instead of the left-hitting Lamb.
MONDAY'S GAME: Box score and stats
Drury hasn’t disappointed in regular at-bats and while that depth is certainly valuable, it also creates the challenge of how best to disperse opportunity.
“It has been tough,” manager Chip Hale said. “That’s what I told Jake (Monday). I said, ‘This is just the way our roster is constructed right now with Dru here. We need to get him at-bats.’ This is the spot where it fits the best, and he understands. That’s the great thing about this group of guys. They understand. They don’t like to sit on the bench. They don’t like to be out for a game, but they know we have 12 position players that all could start.”
Against the Pirates last weekend, Drury went 5-for-12 with two doubles; his only glaring miscue was Sunday when he struck out in the 12th with outfielder David Peralta on third – the potential winning run – and only one out.
“That was just trying too hard to get it done,” Hale said. “His two-strike approach has been as good as anybody we’ve had. He just does damage. He’s a good player.”
Although Lamb has struggled against lefties this season, hitting .133 with a .649 OPS, he’s done well in the matchup in the minors.
With Double-A Mobile in 2014, Lamb boasted a .971 OPS against left-handers and had four hits in seven at-bats with Triple-A Reno that same season – a history that suggests he can be productive in the majors.
“I think he always gives us a good at-bat,” Hale said. “It doesn’t matter lefty or righty you’re going to see him go deep in the count. If he gets 0-2, pretty soon it’s a 3-2 count. Those are important things.”
Pitching in
The Diamondbacks had to get creative in Sunday’s finale against the Pirates, utilizing Greinke and fellow starters Shelby Miller and Patrick Corbin once the team had run out of position players in an eventual 12-10, 13-inning loss.
Greinke and Corbin both pinch hit while Miller saw extended action, pinch running for Greinke and playing an inning in left field – a move that Hale mentioned took some heat on MLB Network.
“They were critical of us putting a guy that we made a big trade for out there,” Hale said. “Listen, I don’t want to have to pinch-hit Zack Greinke. I don’t want to have to put one of my pitchers out in the outfield ever. We don’t want to pitch a position player. But it’s a baseball game, and we can’t just throw in the towel and stop the game.”
Giving the team its best chance to win is at the heart of how best to deploy position players, but one easy way to guarantee late-game options is having the starter rattle off as many effective innings as possible.
“We only have four position players now. That’s part of it,” Hale said. “As soon as we sent the fifth position player down, we told all the starters, ‘You have to be ready every night. We might use you.” But if our starters go deep enough in the game, all that stuff takes care of itself.”
Different perspective
Miller didn’t seem to mind switching from the mound to left field for an inning Sunday.
He even earned praise for how he played a double off the wall, quickly getting the ball back in the infield.
“I was trying to do the best I could, for sure,” Miller said. “It’s just all fun and games. If you’re not having fun playing baseball, it’s not really for you. For us pitchers, we’re always talking smack to each other on who’s fastest and who’s going to get that opportunity to get out there. I got a little bragging rights now with Greinke and Pat and those guys.”
Reach the reporter at sarah.mclellan@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.
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Tuesday’s game
Cardinals at Diamondbacks
When: 6:40 p.m.
Where: Chase Field (Roof hotline: 602-462-6262).
Pitchers: Diamondbacks RHP Shelby Miller (0-1, 8.59) vs. Cardinals RHP Carlos Martinez (3-0, 2.70).
TV/Radio: Fox Sports 1/KMVP-FM (98.7), KSUN-AM (1400).
Miller has struggled with mechanics, exiting his last start after only two innings and issuing five walks. … In total, Miller has pitched 14 2/3 innings while giving up 14 runs, walking 11 and striking out 10. … Against the Cardinals, who drafted him in 2009, Miller is 1-1 with a 0.59 ERA. … Martinez has been impressive, pitching at least six innings in each of his starts while striking out at least five and walking no more than three batters. … He ranks among National League leaders in wins, ERA and opponent batting average (.178). … The Cardinals have won every game in which Martinez has appeared against the Diamondbacks (5-0).
Coming up
Wednesday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Patrick Corbin (1-2, 3.51) vs. Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright (0-3, 7.25).
Thursday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Rubby De La Rosa (2-3, 5.94) vs. Cardinals RHP Michael Wacha (2-0, 2.82).
Friday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Robbie Ray (1-0, 3.38) vs. Rockies RHP Jordan Lyles (1-1, 7.64).