D-Backs’ Lovullo ‘proud’ of offense
Torey Lovullo said he’s never been involved with an offense that’s gone as south as the Diamondbacks hitters have in May.
But the second-year Diamondbacks manager wasn’t all doom and gloom before Monday’s game, despite the fact that his team had lost 15 of its last 17 games and boasts some of the worst offensive statistics in MLB.
After a three-city road trip in which the Diamondbacks lost eight of nine, Lovullo reaffirmed his confidence that the offense would eventually turn it around.
“We’re very well aware of what’s going on and this has been a really tough grind,” Lovullo said. “This has been a very grinding time for all of us. It’s centered around one area that we know is not performing up to their expectations.
“And what I want to say about that part of it is that I’m really proud of the guys for fighting the way they have.”
The Diamondbacks rank dead last in the majors with a .211 batting average through 52 games of the season. Less than a month ago, they had the best record in the National League. As they returned to Chase Field for a sixgame homestand, they are 26-26 and 1 1/2 games out of first place in the NL West.
Even before the club’s recent 17game stretch in which they’ve posted a .174 team batting average, the Diamondbacks weren’t exactly tearing the cover off the ball. Lovullo said his players are experimenting to find a remedy for their ice-cold offense.
“I’m proud of how they come to work every day and are exploring every possible way that they’re going to go out there and perform to that level,” Lovullo said.
The player who carried the team in the first several weeks, outfielder A.J. Pollock, remains on the shelf with a left thumb avulsion fracture and does not appear to be nearing a return.
The player with the best track record, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, is hitting .203 this season and is currently being used as the No. 2 hitter in the lineup in an attempt to shake things up.
So why is Lovullo confident the offense can reverse its fortunes?
“They’re not shutting down,” Lovullo said of his offense. “They are engaged at the same level. And that’s hard to do, when you’re not getting results that you want and not winning games the way we expect to win games. But I’m proud of this group because they are getting after it every single day.
“We’re going to make this thing turn, and I’m very comfortable saying that because of what’s going on in that room every day.”
Miller on the move
Shelby Miller will make a rehab start with Single-A Visalia on Tuesday in San Jose, Calif., Lovullo said on Sunday.
Miller is expected to go about four to five innings and throw between 70 and 75 pitches in the game. It will be Miller’s first game action that did not take place in extended spring training games at Salt River Fields.
“This one’s a little different tomorrow, I’m sure,” Lovullo said. “He’s hit every landmark successfully, but tomorrow he’s going to wake up and he’s going to know that he’s pitching. He’s going to get into that routine at the ballpark and throw in a game where the pitches aren’t controlled and he’s got to get through his innings.”