D-Backs activate Lamb for Friday’s game
NEW YORK – Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb said he isn’t viewing his return from the 10-day disabled list as anything more than it is, even at a time when the club could desperately use the power bat he has provided at times in his career.
Prior to Friday’s game against the New York Mets, the Diamondbacks activated Lamb and optioned both first baseman Christian Walker and righthander Braden Shipley to Triple-A Reno.
“I’m going to go out and try to get hits and score runs for the team,” Lamb said. “I’m not really looking to do anything crazy. I’m not trying to put too much pressure on myself and hit six home runs tonight. Just going to go out, have fun and try to win a game.”
The Diamondbacks’ offense entered Friday’s series opener against the Mets in a funk, with a .182 average and an average of 2.4 runs scored over the past 14 games.
Lamb, who went 2 for 11 (.182) with two doubles, no walks and three strikeouts on his rehab assignment with High-A Visalia, was inserted into the lineup in the No. 3 hole.
“I know there might be some growing pains early,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “He’s getting back to this level. This is the best level in the world. We’re going to expect great things from him, as we did last year.”
Walker, 27, was called up earlier this week after outfielder A.J. Pollock was placed on the DL following his diagnosis of an avulsion fracture in his left thumb. Pollock is expected to miss 4-8 weeks.
Shipley, 26, has been on the DL with right elbow inflammation. He had been playing catch at Chase Field during the team’s homestand and was activated prior to being sent to Reno.
Velocity watch
In hopes of getting his velocity back to its early-season levels, the Diamondbacks have twice had left-hander Patrick Corbin skip his between-starts bullpen session.
Corbin showed a slight uptick in his most recent start, and the Diamondbacks are hoping it will continue to trend in the right direction against the Mets on Saturday night.
“I’ve done this with him before in the past where he had maybe a little dip in velocity and we backed off his bullpens, and it seems like it’s worked in the past,” pitching coach Mike Butcher said. “So we’re going to back to the same thing we did before.”
Corbin averaged between 92.6 mph and 93.5 mph with his fastball through his first six starts. It dipped significantly the next two times out, to 89.7 mph and 90.7 mph, respectively.
After skipping a bullpen and instead doing more long-tossing, Corbin ticked up slightly to 90.9 mph on Monday against the Brewers.
Butcher said Corbin is “fully capable” of throwing off the mound, and he noted that the velocity on Corbin’s slider hasn’t changed.
“Those are all good signs,” Butcher said. “I shouldn’t even say ‘good signs.’ There’s not a lot of concern, to be honest with you. He was going through it in the past and he’s going through it again. We’ll get through it.”
New No. 5
Right-hander Clay Buchholz, whom the Diamondbacks signed to a minorleague deal two weeks ago, will move into the fifth spot in the rotation and start on Sunday against the Mets, Lovullo said.
Buchholz, a former All-Star with the Boston Red Sox, hasn’t been an effective big-league pitcher since 2015, when he posted a 3.26 ERA in 1131⁄3 innings.
He has made repeated trips to the disabled list throughout his career. He missed almost all of last year following surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his right arm.
He signed a minor-league deal with the Kansas City Royals in March before opting out of the contract earlier this month to sign with the Diamondbacks.
“I think him being able to throw a lot of different pitches in different areas at different speeds is a big plus,” Lovullo said, noting that, as bench coach with the Red Sox, he crossed paths with Buchholz in Boston.
According to a scout who saw him throw earlier this year, Buchholz sits now in the 88-90 mph range with his fastball. That’s down at least 2-3 mph from where he was as recently as 2016.
On the plus side, the scout said Buchholz’s cutter was above-average and that he threw strikes with all of his pitches.
Inserting Buchholz into the rotation on Sunday allows the Diamondbacks to give the rest of the starting rotation an extra day of rest.
Short hop
Right-hander Shelby Miller threw four innings and 66 pitches in an extended spring training outing on Thursday, Lovullo said, adding that Miller likely will make one more appearance in extended before starting a rehab assignment with one of the club’s minor league affiliates.