Game Recaps
Diamondbacks get production from entire lineup in win over Giants
by Alex Weiner [Arizona Sports]Not to be lost on Monday was a solid performance from D-backs starter Zac Gallen, who delivered his first quality start (six-plus innings, three earned runs or fewer) since April 1. That was the game when he blanked the Detroit Tigers for six innings, outdueling Tarik Skubal.
Gallen allowed two runs in the first three innings but settled down, retiring the final seven batters he faced. He only threw 81
pitches in the blowout.
Arenado’s 1st inning slam sets the tone in D-backs 10-run win by Steve Gilbert [DBacks.com]
Everyone got into the act with each member of the starting lineup collecting at least one hit, as the Diamondbacks won for the fourth time in their last five games.
Nolan Arenado set the tone with a grand slam as the fourth batter in the first inning, and Gabriel Moreno added a two-run shot in the fifth.
Diamondbacks News
Diamondbacks’ A.J. Puk to start facing live hitters in big step toward return by Alex Weiner [Arizona Sports]
Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher A.J. Puk is scheduled to face live hitters at Salt River Fields on Tuesday, the first time he will do so since undergoing elbow surgery last summer, manager Torey Lovullo said on Monday.
Puk entered 2025 as a co-closer with Justin Martinez, and they along with starter Corbin Burnes made up the big three, so-to-speak, of key pitchers who needed season-ending elbow surgeries. Puk is ahead of Martinez (potentially August) and Burnes (July target) on their respective return timelines.
If all goes well on Tuesday, Puk could return to game action this weekend in the Arizona Complex League.
Examining five struggling D-backs: Reasons for optimism and concern by Brent Maguire [DBacks.com]
Zac Gallen, RHP
Reasons for optimism: Gallen has a 5.65 ERA in nine starts but he still has plenty of time to turn it around. The velocity and pitch movement are largely in line with his career norms and he’s still only 30, so there aren’t many physical reasons to fret too much. Even with the decline he’s shown in recent years, he’s never been this bad, and some ERA indicators (4.69 FIP, 4.51 xFIP) suggest he should be a bit better.
Reasons for concern: That aforementioned decline is hard to ignore at this point. His ERA and overall production has consistently regressed each season since his peak from 2022-23 and there are even more worrying trends this year. His strikeout rate is at a career-low 15 percent (he’s never been below 21.5 percent in a season) as is his 18.5 percent whiff rate. Until the whiffs come back, Gallen will likely continue to struggle.
D-backs, Mike Hazen Make 6-Figure Donation to Ivy Brain Tumor Center by Alex D’Agostino [SI]
Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen, in partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation and the Barrow Women’s Board, will present a sizable donation to the Ivy Brain Tumor Center and Dr. Nader Sanai during Monday night’s pre-game festivities, the team announced in a press release.
Mike Hazen, alongside his sons John and Sam Hazen, will take the opportunity to honor late wife and mother Nicole Hazen, who tragically passed away from a brain tumor in 2022. The donation will be worth $200,000, as part of Brain Tumor Awareness night at Chase Field.
Around the League
How the Hall of Pretty Good became your favorite players’ favorite account by Michael Clair [MLB]
Like a modern Mount Olympus, the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s doors open only to the greatest of the greats, those remarkable ballplayers who stood out from their big league brethren the way the Greek gods towered over us mere mortals.
But for those players who didn’t put together the numbers necessary to reach Cooperstown, they no longer need worry about being forgotten by time’s cruel march forward. Enter: The Hall of Pretty Good.
Yes, in a world where social media seems hellbent on division and discord, there is one place on the internet that is a bastion of baseball positivity. It’s a place where fans and their ballplaying heroes can unite, sharing memories together in the Hall of Pretty Good’s comment section — a space traditionally reserved for only the foulest of trolls.
Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong regrets words in heated exchange with fan by Jesse Rogers [ESPN]
The incident occurred in the fifth inning after Crow-Armstrong crashed into the wall attempting to catch a fly ball off the bat of White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas. As Crow-Armstrong sat on the ground — in front of fans seated below the bleachers and near the visitors bullpen — a woman heckled him, leading to a vulgar response from the Cubs’ third-year player.
The interaction was captured by camera phones and went viral.
“I saw the cameras in my face, it’s not like I didn’t,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I’m definitely aware of the fact that it has blown up. … I am intense on the field. In a moment like that, I think I let it get away from me a little bit.”
Everybody Who’s Anybody is Getting Loose Bodies, and Now It’s Blake Snell’s Turn by Jay Jaffe [FanGraphs]
It would be inaccurate to say that that Blake Snell saw what teammate Edwin Díaz and fellow two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal both had and decided he wanted in. Clusters of injuries, such as the wave of broken hamate bones from this spring or the more recent outbreak of loose bodies in pitchers’ elbows, are just coincidences instead of sudden fads or outbreaks. Nonetheless, like Díaz and Skubal before him, Snell will undergo surgery on Tuesday, with the expectation that he’ll return this season.
Rangers Place Corey Seager on Injury List by Darragh McDonald [MLB Trade Rumors]
The Rangers announced that shortstop Corey Seager has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 15th, due to lower back inflammation. Infielder/outfielder Michael Helman has been recalled as the corresponding move. Prior to the official announcement, president of baseball operations Chris Young revealed the Seager news on 105.3 The Fan, per Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News and Kennedi Landry of MLB.com noted that Helman was with the club in Colorado.
It’s been a rough campaign for Seager so far. He currently has a batting line of .179/.286/.353. His defensive metrics are also notably worse than last year. He last played on Wednesday, with the back issue keeping him sidelined since then. It was reported yesterday that he had undergone an MRI and would be visiting a specialist. It appears the Rangers decided that he could use a bit more time off. Due to the backdating, he could be back in a week, though it’s unclear if that’s a realistic expectation.
