D-Backs: Cubs open series by beating Taijuan Walker and the D-Backs 8-3.
The Diamondbacks caught a break and the Cubs had a tough one delivered to them on Friday when it was learned before the start of their three-game series at Chase Field that Cubs starting catcher Willson Contreras will be sidelined up to six weeks with a moderate strained right hamstring.
Contreras, who was hitting .274 with 21 home runs and 70 RBIs for the Cubs, suffered the injury while running out a ground ball Wednesday against the Giants and had to be helped off the field.
With Contreras sidelined, the Cubs will rely on Alex Avila with the bulk of the playing time behind the plate. Avila was acquired at the trade deadline from the Tigers. His father, Tigers General Manager Al Aliva, was the one who traded him.
“Been a really good big leaguer for a long time,” Diamondbacks manager Lovullo said of Avila. “We’re very well aware of what Contreras had done to us offensively and defensively and that’s a big miss for them. Hopefully, that will be something we can take advantage of.”
Contreras, who hit five homers in six games before getting hurt, has thrown out 20 would-be base stealers this season and on the base paths could be where the Diamondbacks get a leg up in this series. That could be especially true on Saturday when they face left-hander hander Jon Lester, who allowed a major leaguehigh 44 stolen bases in 2015 and has had issues throwing over to first base.
Lester developed the “yips” and the problem began when he was pitching for the Red Sox. Lester made 70 throws to first base in 2011, but a total of just 12 over the next three following seasons. Lovullo was there for two of those years as Boston’s bench coach.
“I controlled the running game in Boston and I just know that he and I had a nice working relationship about how to control the running game,” Lovullo said. “We developed a menu and we followed the menu and it was never really a big issue at that point in time. I’m not sure what happened. It’s well documented, so I’m aware of it, but I don’t know where it backed up on him.”
Asked what components made up their “menu,” Lovullo said it was based on things Lester felt comfortable doing and not doing.
“How he wanted to hold runners and what particular runners he wanted to pay attention to and what runners he didn’t care about,” Lovullo said. “He could control the running game based on his speed to the plate, his time to the plate and other times he was going throw over. And he did.”
Bradley sees more blue
Diamondbacks reliever Archie Bradley made some headlines the other day when Arizona hosted the Dodgers and he implied he was getting a little sick of seeing the color blue at Chase Field. Well, there was a lot of blue there again on Friday night with the Cubs in town.
“Yeah, I know I talked about that a lot the other day, but at least it’s not divisional blue, you know?” Bradley said, laughing. “It’s the Cubs. It’s different. They’re defending World Series champions.”
Mr. Media
Before Friday’s game, Lovullo was a guest on MLB Network’s “Intentional Talk” and one of the show’s hosts, 2004 World Series champion Kevin Millar, was at Chase Field to do the interview. Afterward, Lovullo wore a live microphone during Fox Sports Arizona’s broadcast of the game.
“Those guys are always entertaining,” he said of Millar and co-host Chris Rose. “They bring up some real interesting stuff and you’re like, ‘Where do you come up with that?’ They had footage of me playing the game and I’m like, ‘I like that.’ It brought back some good memories.”
As for wearing the mic throughout Friday’s game, Lovullo said he normally shies away from such things because he doesn’t like to “show a lot of myself at that level.”
“But it just seemed like it will bring the fans into the dugout a little bit and see what goes on at the pace it actually happens and it promotes the brand,” he said. “I’m here to help the Arizona Diamondbacks get new fans and I think it’s an interesting part to what we’re trying to do here.”