Lamb vs. Kershaw a tough call
LOS ANGELES – A day after Jake Lamb delivered the first four-hit game of his career, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo was unsure whether his third baseman would be in the lineup for Game 1 on Friday night against Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw.
Not only has Lamb struggled against lefties throughout his career, he has never had a single plate appearance Kershaw.
“You’re walking off a game where you get four hits and you’re right in the middle of everything – versus lefties and righties, it just didn't matter,” Lovullo said. “(He’s) one of our main performers and offensive catalysts all year long, so I’ve got to figure some things out. I haven’t quite gotten to that decision yet.”
Lamb’s four-hit night was one of several offensive highlights for the Diamondbacks, who outslugged the Colorado Rockies in an 11-8 win in Wednesday night’s wild-card game. Lamb had a pair of at-bats against left-handed pitchers, getting a hit in one of them.
Lamb said he will support Lovullo no matter the decision.
“I’ve always told him that I want to win a World Series,” Lamb said. “If that means putting somebody else in, and they get some big hits or what have you, then that’ll happen.”
Lamb’s most likely replacement would appear to be Adam Rosales, who started in his place regularly against left-handed pitchers during the final month of the season. Rosales hit .239 against lefties, but that was far better than Lamb’s .144 average.
Lamb smiled when asked if he wanted to get a look at Kershaw.
“Of course,” Lamb said. “He’s one of the best. I’ve sat the bench plenty of times watching him pitch. I would love to face him.”
Decisions looming
After carrying 15 position players and 10 pitchers on Wednesday, Lovullo said the Diamondbacks were leaning toward going with 14 and 11, respectively, but General Manager Mike Hazen said that was not set in stone.
The Diamondbacks’ coaches and front office were expected to meet Thursday evening to discuss the roster.
One certain addition to the roster is right-hander Taijuan Walker, who will start Game 1.
But the Diamondbacks had several players in their traveling party that were not on the roster for the wild-card game, including pitchers Anthony Banda, J.J. Hoover and T.J. McFarland and slugger Christian Walker.
Infielder Chris Owings remains a candidate to return to the roster. Out since July 30 with a fractured right middle finger, Owings was working at an instructional league on Thursday, and Hazen said just because Owings wasn’t with the team in Los Angeles doesn’t mean he won’t be on the roster.
Among the players who were playing during the final week of the season but were not spotted at Thursday afternoon’s workout at Dodger Stadium: infielder Ildemaro Vargas, outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker, catcher John Ryan Murphy and pitchers Braden Shipley, Silvino Bracho and Jake Barrett.
Short hops
» After coach Ariel Prieto’s was spotted wearing an Apple Watch in the dugout on Wednesday night, Hazen said the club will cooperate fully as Major League Baseball investigates the matter. “He assured us that it was an honest mistake,” Hazen said. “We’re complying with whatever MLB asks.”
» Hazen spoke glowingly about the way Lovullo navigated his way through Wednesday night’s game. Asked what decision impressed him most, Hazen said, “I think sticking with the guys -- we got rolled into lefties right away -- sticking with those left-handed hitters. Obviously, Jake rewarded him with a great night. (Daniel) Descalso hits a home run off a lefty. (Jeff) Mathis stays in the game and has a big RBI late in the game. For us, that seemed to be a big difference. When guys perform that way, it always makes a manager look good, but that was probably what stood out to me.”