Peralta garners rare start against a lefty
LOS ANGELES - Diamondbacks right fielder David Peralta was excited to see his name on the lineup card Tuesday night. Not only was he playing in the opening game of a key series, but he was in there against a lefthanded pitcher – the best lefty in the majors, in fact, in the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw.
“I don’t know when the last time I started against a lefty was,” Peralta said.
That would be April 28, when Peralta was in the lineup against Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland, the last of five starts he had against lefties in the season’s opening month.
But Peralta has been making the most of the few at-bats he’s been getting against lefties. He’s even delivered a handful of key hits off them, including a game-tying home run off Tigers closer Justin Wilson on June 13.
Peralta is 13 for 46 (.283) with an .840 OPS against lefties this season, numbers that, while coming in a tiny sample size, represent an improvement on his career line. He believes he’s getting better and better against them, and he hopes that’s why the team had him in there on Tuesday. “Maybe they noticed that,” he said. From the sound of manager Torey Lovullo’s comments, that might not be the case. With the Diamondbacks facing three consecutive lefties against the Dodgers, Lovullo was asked if this week was a chance for Peralta to earn more at-bats against lefties.
“He’s been swinging the bat OK against left-handed pitching,” Lovullo said. “We have three of them coming up here. I don’t want any of our guys to sit for three days, especially David Peralta. So we’re going to have to start him. I know he’s always up for challenges.”
Peralta says his past struggles against lefties are just a matter of exposure. With fewer lefties across the league, he has fewer chances to grow accustomed to them. He believes his results have been better in part because he’s been able to stay calm at the plate, shorten his swing and keep things simple.
“If you can make good contact and put the barrel of the bat on it, the ball can go anywhere,” he said.
Peralta wants to show the club he’s worthy of more at-bats against lefties, but he says he doesn’t take even his atbats against right-handed pitchers – off whom he’s hitting .323 – for granted.
“I have to prove that every day,” he said. “I’m not the type of guy that, ‘OK, I did this in the past, I deserve this.’ I feel like I have to prove it every day that I should be an everyday player.”
Tomas update
Outfielder Yasmany Tomas suffered a setback in his return from a right groin injury, suffering a new – and apparently more severe – issue with the groin than the one that’s kept him out since the beginning of June.
On Saturday night, Tomas left the third game of his rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona League with what was initially called “general tightness.” An MRI revealed what manager Torey Lovullo described as a “mild” strain. His previous injury had been characterized as “tendinitis.”
“It seems like it’s in a different spot,” Lovullo said.
If center fielder’s A.J. Pollock’s timetable is any indication, Tomas might not be back anytime soon. Pollock missed more than seven weeks with his groin strain, an injury that also was described as “mild,” though he might have missed an extra week or so due to a quad issue that popped up during his rehab.
Tomas hasn’t played since June 2. The club has played well in his absence, going 18-9 in the 27 games.
Short hops
Ketel Marte got the start at third base on Tuesday night, his first start at the position in his professional career, including the minor leagues. “I had some discussions with him the past several days about his comfort level going over to third base,” Lovullo said. “He said he played in the playoffs last year in winter ball. He was comfortable there.”
» Pollock took the roster spot of infielder Ildemaro Vargas, who was optioned to Triple-A Reno Sunday.