D-Backs have NL’s 2nd-best hitting pitchers
SAN FRANCISCO – Diamondbacks pitchers had a four-game hit streak come to an end on Thursday afternoon, but they entered Friday night’s series opener against the San Francisco Giants as the second-best hitting staff in the National League.
“They have gotten better throughout the year,” said Diamondbacks third-base coach Tony Perezchica, who works with the pitchers on a daily basis. “You see some guys are swinging the bat real good. That’s a credit to them. They’re getting the work and they’re doing it when they get out there (in games).”
The staff’s batting average is a modest .157, but that’s just three points back of the San Diego Padres for tops in the NL. If it weren’t for Zack Godley, who is just 2 for 41 (.049), the pitchers would be hitting .175.
Robbie Ray leads with a .271 average, but Taijuan Walker, at .245, has been gaining ground, going 7 for 19 (.345) in his past nine starts with a double and a homer, the only one by a Diamondbacks pitcher this season. Zack Greinke is hitting .172 with Patrick Corbin at .115.
Walker hadn’t had an at-bat in the big leagues since 2015, and he said prior to that his last at-bat came in 2010 – when he was a senior in high school. Walker started the season 1 for 16, giving away several at-bats by not swinging because of a back issue he didn’t want to irritate.
“Robbie wants to win a Silver Slugger,” Walker said. “Zack has already won one. I obviously want to win one, too. We have competition. It’s fun. I told Robbie because he’s leading us in average, ‘Dude, I’ve got a home run and my back was hurt.’ We just have fun with it. That’s the biggest thing.”
Martinez scratched
Diamondbacks slugger J.D. Martinez was scratched Friday with stiffness on the left side of his neck, and Gregor Blanco moved into the lineup for the series opener against the San Francisco Giants.
Martinez was said to have woken up with the neck issue on Friday morning. The issue is not considered serious.
In Martinez’s absence, Blanco moved into the lineup in left field, with David Peralta shifting from left to right field.
Ray unfazed by comebackers
Ray on Friday night will be making his fifth start since being struck in the head by a line drive in St. Louis in July, and he’s already had several more balls lined back through the middle.
None of them seem to faze him. In his previous start, a Jabari Blash liner appeared to come within inches of his head, with Ray ducking out of the way at the last instant.
“The fact that he forgets about it, goes and makes pitches and just keeps delivering the way he does is very impressive,” manager Torey Lovullo said.
Ray doesn’t put himself in good fielding position after releasing the ball, falling off the mound with his body squared toward the third-base line. Lovullo was asked if the team would like to see him more prepared to handle comebackers.
“I think the way you talk about it from pitching in Little League, you throw the ball and you become a fifth infielder,” Lovullo said. “That’s ultimately what you want. But these guys do so much to create arm speed and torque and direction that it’s hard to reroute them and ask for them to do that.”