Ahmed hopes to play next to his brother
Sibling Mike in camp, dugout for D-Backs
Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed didn’t get to play with his younger brother, Mike, on Tuesday, but it was still a special day for the Ahmed family.
Mike Ahmed, 28, an infielder whom the Diamondbacks signed as a minor league free agent last month, was a backup for the major league team during Tuesday’s 7-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Nick Ahmed started and played four innings; his brother did not appear in the game. Rather than head to the clubhouse after he exited the game, Nick Ahmed remained in the dugout for the full nine innings.
“Just getting to chat it up in the dugout with my brother,” he said. “Hopefully, the next time he’ll get to play. It was special. We haven’t shared a dugout or a field or a jersey together since high school (in 2008). Hopefully it happens a lot more.”
Mike Ahmed, an infielder who was drafted in the 20th round by the Dodgers in 2013, has played parts of seven seasons in the minors, reaching as high as Triple-A. He spent last season in the Seattle Mariners organization.
“My wife and his wife and all our kids came,” Nick Ahmed said. “I don’t know if the kids lasted the whole game or not, but everybody came.”
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said he was trying to figure out a way to get the younger Ahmed into Tuesday’s game. Instead, he said, he is hopeful the organization will find a way for the two to play together at some point this spring.
“I’m going to try to engineer that,” Lovullo said. “I think that would be a really fun time for those guys to play in the middle of the diamond together.”
Mike Ahmed played collegiately at Holy Cross with Lovullo’s son, Nick.
“I have a soft spot for him being here in this organization,” Lovullo said.
Peaking late
First baseman Christian Walker, who has been dealing with “general body soreness,” in the words of Lovullo, is expected to make his Cactus League debut on Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics.
Walker said he has been trying to take a responsible, measured approach to spring training since he is arriving in camp with a firm hold on a job.
“I feel like it’s not as much of a tryout as it has been in the past for me,” he said. “So I’m trying to switch out of the mentality of showing up in midseason form. I want to peak at the end of March. I don’t need to be peaking right now in terms of performance.”
To that end, he has been taking fewer reps, pushing his body a little less aggressively, in hopes that it leads to him feeling stronger over the course of a sixmonth season.
Short hops
Right-hander Merrill Kelly will pitch in relief of starter Luke Weaver on Wednesday. It will be the first spring training outing for each pitcher. Weaver has a hold on a rotation spot; Kelly likely is in line for a bullpen spot, assuming the rotation stays healthy.
*Lovullo said the club probably won’t get catcher Daulton Varsho time in the outfield for at least another week. The club wants him to continue to focus on catching for the time being.
Diamondbacks 7, Dodgers 3
At Salt River Fields
At the plate: The Diamondbacks scored four times in the second, an inning keyed by what was a common sight during the 2019 season: a hit by pitch by CF Tim Locastro. Locastro, who set a team record with 22 hit by pitches last season, actually avoided a curveball from Dodgers RHP Joe Broussard that almost hit him on the pitch before. “Everyone was saying (after the first pitch missed me) that I had lost my powers to get hit by pitches,” Locastro said. “Fortunately, the next hit me. I still got it.” Later in the inning, 2B Ketel Marte drove in two runs with a hustle double on a ball that glanced off 1B Tyler White’s glove. LF Jon Jay, who is trying to win a bench job as a non-roster invitee, had two hits. RF Kole Calhoun also had a pair of hits.
RHP Jon Duplantier tossed two scoreless innings, striking out three while featuring a fastball that sat in the 94-95 mph range. Manager Torey Lovullo was pleased to see Duplantier have success given the work he has put in to clean up his mechanics. “Everything is together (with his delivery),” Lovullo said. “I think the motion might have been a little choppy at times, but I think he’s staying balanced and he’s staying through the baseball and it’s showing up.” RHP Hector Rondon and RHP Stefan Crichton each tossed scoreless innings.
Extra bases: Former Diamondbacks CF A.J. Pollock connected for a tworun homer to right. It was Pollock’s first hit of the spring.
Wednesday’s game: Diamondbacks RHP Luke Weaver at Athletics RHP Frankie Montas, 1:05 p.m., Hohokam Stadium.