Recaps
[AZ Central] Diamondbacks take down the Phillies, cut wild-card deficit to 1 game – Corbin Carroll homered and stole a base, becoming the first player in Diamondbacks history to hit 30 homers and steal
30 bases. Eduardo Rodriguez turned in six-plus innings of scoreless work. And the Diamondbacks won another series against a tough opponent, ensuring that they will enter the final week of the regular season with a legitimate shot at October. “I still think that a lot has got to go right for us,” Carroll said. “Each one of these games obviously matters a ton, so we’ve got to take it one game at a time, and at the same time not let it create unneeded pressure and still play free, like we’ve been playing these last couple weeks.”
[Dbacks.com] Carroll joins 30-30 club as D-backs inch closer to Wild Card – Carroll became the fourth player to accomplish the feat this year, joining Juan Soto (Mets), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (Yankees) and Jose Ramirez (Guardians). It’s the 76th time overall in Major League Baseball history. “Obviously, it was a goal of mine for the season to hit 30 homers and steal more than 30 bases,” Carroll said. “To accomplish some personal goals late in the year is great. There’s been some really good players that have come before me [with the Diamondbacks], and so I think just to be the first to do it is great.” Carroll also joined Jimmy Rollins (2007) and Willie Mays (1957) as the only players in AL/NL history with 30 home runs, 30 stolen bases and 15 triples in a season.
Team news
[Arizona Sports] Jordan Lawlar not expected to play defense with playoff hopes alive – The Arizona Diamondbacks will operate with Jordan Lawlar as a designated hitter moving forward after he’s had trouble defensively, manager Torey Lovullo said on Sunday. Lawlar has hit pretty well since snapping his scoreless streak, hitting .333 with six doubles and two steals in his last 11 games. He has also committed four errors in his last two starts on defense. “I’m saying that out loud and I feel comfortable saying that because we’ve gotten down to the studs on his foundation and we gotta get things built back up,” Lovullo said before a series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies. “He understands that. … I want him to be as good as everybody has been telling me he possibly could be. But this is real stuff. This is big boy stuff here.”
[AP] Diamondbacks have wild-card berth within their grasp despite season of adversity – “We had every right to feel sorry for ourselves,” Lovullo said after Arizona’s 9-2 win over Philadelphia on Sunday. “We had every right to say, you know, why us? Let’s chalk it up to a learning experience and go here next year — but that clubhouse did not allow that to happen.” The Diamondbacks had every reason to pack it in as injuries decimated their pitching staff and key position players went down. They kept plugging along through it all, steadily climbing their way up the standings with new players filling the holes left by the injuries and trades. Arizona has the NL’s third-best record since Aug. 1 at 28-19 to go from also-ran to playoff contender.
[D-backs Under Review] D-backs Set for Another Thrilling Photo Finish in 2025’s Final Week – You don’t win 27 of 45 games without some solid relief work mixed in. While the bullpen has been a collective nightmare, pitching to a 4.65 ERA since August 1st, there have been four arms to emerge. The four arms that have keyed the turnaround are Andrew Saalfrank, Jalen Beeks, Ryan Thompson, and John Curtiss. The quartet of relievers has combined for 26 shutdowns compared to just six meltdowns. While the unit collectively hasn’t been good, having four capable arms can be enough to win ball games. When they get good starting pitching, it reduces the number of outs the bullpen has to get. It allows manager Torey Lovullo to deploy his best relievers to finish a game once he has the lead.
[SI] Diamondbacks’ First-Rounder Opens Up on Pro Debut – “It was just every kid’s dream, hitting BP on the big league field with big league guys,” Cunningham said. “Just super welcoming, it was awesome. It’s actually kind of crazy, watching [the D-backs] on TV and knowing I’m going to be there someday. Now knowing the guys and talking to them, it’s pretty cool. It’s really an experience. It’s a blessing for sure. Just all the hard work I put in at a young age. And obviously the road isn’t finished here, but this is a really big, big experience for me and my family,” Cunningham said. Cunningham spoke positively about his experience with the Rawhide. He played in only 11 games, hitting .255 in 52 plate appearances. The 19-year-old said it was a good start to his professional journey.
And, elsewhere…
[British Baseball] Great Britain Baseball Notches First Win Of 2025 European Championships With Decisive Win Over Israel – The 16-1 Great Britain victory saw Julian Sanders tally four hits, with Matt Ward and Max Viera each with a pair of base knocks, with seven different batters driving in runs led by Viera’s two. Five different GBR hitters also had extra base hits, with Nick Ward and Quinn Allen launching Great Britain’s first home runs of the tournament. Great Britain wraps Group B play tomorrow, Monday, 22 September with a cross-channel battle with France at the Neptunus Familiestadion complex in Rotterdam. [Jim: That game should be over by the time of publication. A win would move Team GB into the knockout stages]
[ESPN] Mariners’ Cal Raleigh launches MLB-leading 58th home run – Raleigh’s shot came a night after he passed Ken Griffey Jr. for the franchise’s single-season home run record with his 57th. Griffey hit 56 in 1997 and in 1998. Raleigh also has surpassed Mickey Mantle’s previous MLB record of 54 home runs by a switch-hitter that had stood since 1961. Raleigh also set the MLB record for homers by a catcher this season, eclipsing the 48 hit by Salvador Perez in 2021.Raleigh is five home runs ahead of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber, who are tied for second place in the majors with 53 apiece.
[MLB] Here’s what’s at stake in the final week of the 2025 season – Playoff seeding. The Brewers won the NL Central and have secured one of the top two spots in the National League, giving them a first-round bye in the Wild Card Series. The Phillies won the NL East and will likely join the Brewers shortly with a first-round bye. The Dodgers will likely take the NL West and the third NL spot, while the Cubs are poised to secure the top NL Wild Card spot. Beyond those clubs, there’s still plenty to be determined. Entering Monday, the Blue Jays are the only AL team that has secured a postseason spot, so we could see plenty of shuffling between teams this week. That includes the extremely close races for divisions and Wild Card spots.
Finally, a non-baseball but very interesting and Arizona related video…
