D-Backs optimistic after sluggish start
Eduardo Escobar turned on a firstpitch fastball down and inside in the ninth inning on Thursday afternoon, blasting it out of the ballpark the same way he has dozens of times over the past few years.
It was a rare positive for both Escobar and the Diamondbacks offense as a whole in the first week of the season. But for manager Torey Lovullo it wasn’t just the home run that encouraged him. It was what preceded it — and, taken in full, it was a sequence of events that creates optimism for Lovullo that his
lineup could be close to turning a corner.
In two plate appearances earlier in the game on Thursday, Escobar patiently worked a pair of walks. He is known for his lack of approach at the plate, but he twice took borderline pitches with the count full to draw free passes against Rockies starter Jon Gray. Then, in the ninth, when he got the pitch he was looking for, he unloaded on it.
“I think that’s a perfect example of continuing to believe and continuing to stay on the right side of things without going backwards,” Lovullo said. “You start to see those positive results. Sometimes it’s a little slower than we want it, but we know these guys are waiting for the pitch in their zone and that to me is the key.”
The Diamondbacks entered Friday night’s home opener ranking in the bottom half of the majors in several important offensive categories. They were averaging just 3.57 runs per game. They were hitting .209 as a team with a .270 on-base percentage.
Nearly everyone is off to a slow start. Christian Walker, David Peralta and Escobar — three players expected to anchor the middle of the lineup — are a combined 11 for 80 (.138). Several of the club’s younger, less experienced hitters are also struggling: Josh Rojas, Tim Locastro, Josh VanMeter and Wyatt Mathisen are a combined 8 for 57 (.140).
But Lovullo believes that just because the results aren’t there doesn’t mean his offense isn’t doing some things right. Namely, he is encouraged by his hitters’ overall approach at the plate, something the team has been focusing on since the start of spring training.
So far, Diamondbacks hitters are swinging at 28.7 percent of pitches out of the strike zone, ranking 10th in the majors. That’s an improvement from last year, when they swung at 32 percent of pitches, ranking 21st.
But it’s not just pitches out of the zone that the Diamondbacks are letting go: They’re swinging at strikes 65 percent of time compared to 68 percent last year.
The approach, in some respects, dovetails with comments Lovullo made during spring training about what he wanted to see from his hitters.
“The approach, for me, is a focused mindset of, ‘What am I trying to do with this pitch on this particular at-bat?’” Lovullo said in early March. “That can change, and it’s making adjustments pitch-to-pitch and at-bat-to-at-bat.
“The bottom line is, if we’re in a sand trap, I want us to pull our sand wedge out. I don’t want us to try to pull our driver out in the sand trap and do damage every single time with that club. We’ve got to be very versatile, be adaptable, and I think our guys are doing that right now.”
General Manager Mike Hazen wondered if part of the issue is that players are trying too hard to get off to good starts, focusing too much being the one to carry the team. He also wondered if early injuries and the resultant increase in playing time for less established players was another factor.
“There’s that desire for immediate performance,” Hazen said. “I get that. I do think we have to allow the other team to hand us some things sometimes. I felt like at times we weren’t allowing that to happen.”
Lovullo said Friday his hitters are doing a lot of the things that tend to produce positive results. They just aren’t finishing off their at-bats.
“Sometimes that happens,” Lovullo said.
“Sometimes you miss the pitch you’re looking for. I’m looking for our guys to do the things that I know they know how to do. They’re stubborn. They can be savages in the box and they can make it look really, really easy. I know that’s coming. That’s my belief.”