Corbin a stranger at Chase Field with Nationals
Patrick Corbin spent six seasons in Arizona, but Friday gave him a chance to explore some pockets of Chase Field that he still didn’t really know.
“Definitely strange being on this side,” Corbin said. “I’ve never really been in this clubhouse.”
Corbin, now with the Nationals, is back in town to face his old team. He’ll pitch against the Diamondbacks on Sunday. He’s very quite familiar with the lineup, but that advantage works both ways.
“I’m hoping it helps. They know pretty well, too,” Corbin said. “They’ve seen me my whole career that I’ve been here, but you know their hitters, you just try to go out there and execute pitches. … I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to face them.”
Corbin was an All-Star twice with the Diamondbacks. He signed with the Nationals on a six-year deal in December. So far, he’s 9-5 in 22 starts, with an ERA of 3.23.
Fans cheered as the Jumbotron cut to Corbin during Friday’s game to note his return. Corbin still has a house in Arizona, so he was glad to get back. He also spent part of Friday catching up with old teammates and was planning on continuing that throughout the series. Of course, the team is rather different than it was a few months ago — and compared to just a few days ago.
Corbin joked that he’s still catching up on which players are on what team, as some of the late trades came while he was on the plane to Arizona. He was, of course, well aware of the Zack Greinke trade, which left him “a little shocked.”
“I really enjoyed him as a teammate. I know he’s not the most outspoken person and keeps to himself a little bit,” Corbin said. “But when you really get to know him, you can learn so much, and I was grateful to be able to play with him.”
Entering Saturday, the Diamondbacks sit 4.5 games out of the wild-card spot the Nationals hold, but Corbin saw the value in the moves made by his former club, for this year and the future.
“I think with the coaching staff over here and the people they have in the front office, they’re going to try to compete every year,” Corbin said. “I enjoyed being a part of it. Was a little disappointed with how good I thought our (team) was over the years there and didn’t really make it to where we thought we could.”
As the rotation turns ...
Newly acquired right-handers Mike Leake and Zac Gallen will debut with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, against the Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field.
Ahead of Leake, right-hander Merrill Kelly will start the series opener on Monday, although Lovullo downplayed any “Kelly Leak” reference to “The Bad News Bears.”
After both Leake and Gallen make their debuts, the Diamondbacks will have started six unique starters without a repeat. However, Lovullo said he wasn’t sure whether they will continue with a six-man rotation after that.
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to (the staff) about it but they are aware of the six-man turn,” Lovullo said. “What we do from the sixth day forward we haven’t determined yet.”
Lovullo also said he wasn’t concerned with placing added pressure on young starters such as Taylor Clarke or Alex Young, whose spots in the rotation could be in jeopardy.
“It’s a game of pressure, right?” Lovullo said. “Anytime a starter goes out there and takes the ball, I want them to feel like they have to get the job done.”
Short hops
❚ Infielder/outfielder Blake Swihart logged six plate appearances on Friday for Triple-A Reno as he works his way back from an oblique issue. … Swihart has an .891 OPS in 37 at-bats (nine games) for the Aces during his rehab.
❚ Injured right-handers Luke Weaver (elbow) and Taijuan Walker (shoulder) each continued their throwing programs on Saturday at Chase Field and are progressing well, per Lovullo.