WASHINGTON — When Torey Lovullo went to the mound two batters into the bottom of the fifth inning to take the ball from left-hander Kohl Drake, the Diamondbacks manager must have liked his chances. The
game was tied, and Lovullo was about to set up a battle of the bullpens — a strength for his team against a weakness for the Washington Nationals.
It did not play out the way the Diamondbacks would have hoped. The Nationals scored six times in the final five innings and came away with a 10-7 win on Sunday, July 26, handing the Diamondbacks their first series loss since the Fourth of July weekend.
Drake was shaky in four-plus innings, the second shaky outing in as many days from one of the club’s trade deadline acquisitions of a year ago. Relievers Jonathan Loaisiga, Brandyn Garcia and Kevin Ginkel coughed up runs. The Diamondbacks lost not just a rubber match but also the season series to the Nationals, who took four of six from them.
Gabriel Moreno drove in two runs and Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo each hit solo homers for the Diamondbacks.
The Nationals got two homers apiece from C.J. Abrams and James Wood. Each took Drake deep once.
Drake was charged with four runs in four-plus innings. A day earlier, lefty Mitch Bratt gave up five runs in five innings, walking five. Both were part of the Merrill Kelly trade a year earlier.
The Diamondbacks’ bullpen has been a surprising strength of their team through the season’s first four months. It took a step back on July 26.
Loaisiga served up a two-run homer to Abrams in the fifth. Garcia had a rare off day, allowing two runs on four hits, including a pair of doubles. Wood smacked his second homer off Ginkel in the eighth.
The Diamondbacks, trailing 10-5, made things interesting in the ninth, scoring twice, but they left the bases loaded when Tyler Locklear bounced out to second base to end the game.
Red Sox weren't interested in prospects, source says
The late-night trade on Saturday, July 25, pulled off by the Washington Nationals, in which they acquired a young starting pitcher, Connelly Early, from the Boston Red Sox, was just the sort of deal the Diamondbacks have interest in doing ahead of next week’s trade deadline.
The Diamondbacks spoke to the Red Sox about that kind of trade, according to a source, but were told Boston was not interested in acquiring a player who skewed more toward prospect status. In exchange for Early, the Red Sox acquired infielder Curtis Mead, who has had a breakout season in the majors for the Nationals, hitting .254/.352/.500 with 17 homers.
It is unclear who among their young hitters the Diamondbacks would have considered moving, but prospects/young major leaguers such as Ryan Waldschmidt, Tommy Troy, Tim Tawa, etc., apparently were not established enough in the Red Sox’s eyes, the source said.
The Diamondbacks spoke with the Red Sox during the offseason about a possible Ketel Marte trade but were not able to come to an agreement.
Injury updates on Michael Soroka, Justin Martinez, Jordan Lawlar
Diamondbacks right-hander Michael Soroka threw a two-inning, 35-pitch live batting practice session on Saturday, July 25, the club said.
Soroka is lined up to throw a bullpen session on Monday, July 27, and is expected to pitch in a bridge league game — a game at a spring training complex likely to feature mostly young minor leaguers — in his next outing.
Right-hander Justin Martinez threw a bullpen session on Saturday and will pitch in a bridge league game on Tuesday, July 28.
Outfielder Jordan Lawlar took five at-bats at the complex as he works his way back from a hamstring injury.
Prospect Druw Jones in Cooperstown for father’s induction
The Diamondbacks gave the green light to Double-A center fielder Druw Jones to be away from his Amarillo team for the weekend to attend the Hall of Fame induction of his father, Andruw Jones, in Cooperstown, N.Y.
“He reached out to me earlier in the month and just asked if he could go for it,” Diamondbacks farm director Chris Slivka said. “That’s obviously a once-in-a-lifetime experience to go support your dad.”
Jones, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 draft, has had an up-and-down season with Amarillo. His overall stat line is pedestrian at best for a good hitting environment — .259/.372/.353 with five homers and 23 steals — but Slivka said there has been significant growth under the hood.
“There's been a lot of positives,” Slivka said. “Cleaning up the lower half (swing) mechanics a little bit, he’s starting to use the ground a little more, riding out his back side, more adjustable front to back.
“The last couple of months has been really promising. He was getting into a pretty good rhythm, too, before he (left for Cooperstown). You’re starting to see more power emerge, starting to see him hit for a little more power to the pull side. … It’s all trending in the right direction, and the swing looks better. He has put in a lot of hard work. Credit to him.”
Diamondbacks at Nationals, 10:35 a.m., Cox, Ch. 34
Diamondbacks LHP Kohl Drake (0-0, 1.80) vs. Nationals RHP Miles Mikolas (3-7, 5.60).
At Nationals Park: Drake was effective in his major league debut last week at Chase Field, where he held the Athletics to one run over five innings, walking two, hitting one batter and striking out five. … He elicited a surprising amount of whiffs, getting four swings and misses apiece on his fastball, changeup and cutter and another on his curveball. … Drake had a 6.92 ERA in Triple-A Reno at the time of his call-up, but he had been better (4.70 ERA) over his previous six starts. … Mikolas has been alternating between starting and pitching bulk innings in relief. His results coming out of the bullpen (3.75 ERA) have been far better than as a starter (8.53). … He faced the Diamondbacks twice last year, posting a 5.40 ERA in 10 innings. … 3B Nolan Arenado has gone 6 for 12 with three homers off him.
Coming up
Monday, July 27: At Pittsburgh, 3:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (8-8, 5.12) vs. Pirates RHP Bubba Chandler (3-8, 4.47).
Tuesday, July 28: At Pittsburgh, 3:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (5-1, 4.43) vs. Pirates RHP Mitch Keller (6-7, 4.90)
Wednesday, July 29: At Pittsburgh, 9:35 a.m., Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (9-3, 2.64) vs. Pirates RHP Jared Jones (2-1, 3.72).
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks drop series to Nationals
