One of the bigger questions entering this Diamondbacks season was the one surrounding Pavin Smith. A year ago, he emerged after years of inconsistency as an offensive force. But it was fair to wonder: Could he do it again?
The answer, so far, has been a resounding yes.
Smith blasted a go-ahead two-run homer, doubled and walked in the Diamondbacks’ 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, the latest big game for the left-handed half of the club’s designated hitter spot.
Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt turned in six innings of one-run ball, the fourth time in five starts he has recorded 18 outs. Rookie Tim Tawa ripped another home run, his second in as many games and third since coming to the majors two weeks ago.
And the Diamondbacks won their second consecutive game without the services of reliever Justin Martinez, who was expected to be available but needed another day as he battles what manager Torey Lovullo described as “right shoulder fatigue.”
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Through his first 70 plate appearances, Smith is hitting .397 with a .500 on-base and a .759 slugging. The home run he hit on Tuesday, April 22, was his fourth of the season, the double his ninth. He has been limited mostly to facing right-handed pitching — filling the same role that Joc Pederson did last year — but he has been destroying it almost every chance he gets.
“He’s on every pitch,” Lovullo said. “The balls he’s swinging over and missing, he’s barely missing. He’s right on it.”
Said Smith: “The ball definitely feels like it’s coming in a little slower, which is nice.”
With the Diamondbacks trailing 1-0 in the third, Smith came to the plate with a runner on against Rays right-hander Zack Littell. On a full count, Smith got a fastball above the zone at 94 mph. He turned on it and ripped it into the right-field seats, a shot that left his bat at 106 mph.
Smith has admitted to being plagued earlier in his career by his tendency to tinker, to think that every bad game required a reimagining of his swing or his approach. But over the past couple of seasons, he has come to trust his ability — and he has found what he calls “certain cornerstones” with his swing that he will not change.
It has led to what sounds like a good blend of sticking with what works while mixing in small adjustments when needed.
“There are certain feels I can recognize a little easier,” he said. “I’ll know when I’m off and I can make adjustments mid-game, whereas in the past it’s taken a little longer and those (bad) at-bats seem to pile up.”
Though Martinez has not pitched since appearing in back-to-back games last week in Miami, Lovullo continues to make it sound like more of a short-term issue.
“We probably need one more day,” Lovullo said. “We check in on him just to see how he’s feeling. He’s close to 100 percent. We’re just going to take our time with that.”
He added: “Just not able to say that he’s 100 percent, but it’s getting very, very close.”
Lovullo intimated that he club is being extra careful given what has happened to left-hander A.J. Puk, who landed on the 15-day injured list on Saturday with left elbow inflammation. Puk underwent an MRI on Monday and is waiting to receive additional medical opinions from a pair of high-profile orthopedic surgeons.
Smith said he has enjoyed the freedoms provided by the DH role. In the innings just before he is due to hit, he said he tends to go back to the indoor cage to take swings with assistant hitting coach Travis Denker.
“I go in there and try to get my feel, take, like, even if it’s only three or four swings, just feel it and kind of take it into the at-bat,” he said.
Smith’s production has made it easy to forget Pederson, who put together a monster season last year on the strong side of the DH platoon, then signed with the Texas Rangers as a free agent over the winter.
Smith said he learned lessons from watching Pederson work, including his ability to move on from at-bats without panicking.
“If you get out the first at-bat, it’s OK,” Smith said. “You can make adjustments off that, know how they’re pitching you. I think just watching him kind of chill out, relax and not be over — I do it a little differently than him, but I definitely took the more relaxed approach (from watching him).”
For Pfaadt, who allowed just four hits and walked none, it was his third quality start of the season and his fourth consecutive win. He said his lack of feel for his four-seam fastball early in the game prompted him to lean more heavily on his sinker.
“That was a good, clean baseball game and it was all set up by what Brandon Pfaadt was able to do,” Lovullo said. “… We were able to take the lead and build off of him.”
—Nick Piecoro
Randy Johnson’s photography on display at Chase Field
Randy Johnson stood in front of a small exhibit of his photography work inside the Diamondbacks Hall of Fame and History Museum at Chase Field, sharing the inspiration for his photos from his many world travels.
The current special assistant to Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall and Hall of Fame pitcher has been to Africa multiple times and just returned from Japan. His mini-gallery of photos, which fans can view inside the museum just beyond center field, will be on display all season.
Johnson has had his work displayed in Cooperstown and around the Phoenix area.
“I just enjoy traveling and documenting my trips, and taking as many pictures as I can and sharing them with people,” Johnson said.
Johnson has also come out with coffee table book of his art that contains more than 100 of his photos.
-Jose M. Romero
Manager hopes for quick return to majors for struggling McCarthy
Torey Lovullo said he wanted outfielder Jake McCarthy, who was optioned to Triple-A Reno after the game April 20, to treat his time in the minors as an extended road trip, after which he hopes to make a swift return to the majors.
“What I told him is,” Lovullo said, “look at it like you’re going on a two- or three-week road trip and get your butt back here as soon as possible.”
Lovullo added: “He wasn’t comfortable with the decision. I didn’t expect him to be comfortable with the decision. But I know Jake is built on the right things and he’s going to find his way back here. Because I do believe and I will say this, like I’ve said every year: Our best outfield and our best team has Jake in it.”
McCarthy went just 3 for 41 (.073) to start the season, opening the year hitless in his first 24 at-bats. Just as troubling, Lovullo said, was the organization’s belief that some of his offensive struggles were leaking into other parts of his game.
“There were some mistakes being made around his game that we felt like it was all connected,” Lovullo said. “… Once you’re there (struggling) and it’s before you and it starts to trickle into other parts of your game, such as the pickoffs or some of the plays he was failing to make on defense, we couldn’t help but start to take notice that maybe a little bit of a reboot might matter to him.”
In McCarthy’s absence, Lovullo said Alek Thomas likely would receive the bulk of the playing time in center field, likely getting all of the starts against right-handed pitching. Outfielder Jorge Barrosa, a switch-hitter who was recalled to take McCarthy’s place on the roster, could see starts against lefties.
—Nick Piecoro
Injury updates on Ketel Marte, Kevin Ginkel
Second baseman Ketel Marte continues to progress from a hamstring strain and is expected to begin running the bases this week, Lovullo said.
“All the targets we wanted to hit with Ketel have been reached,” Lovullo said, “and we continue to push him downfield.”
The club has been targeting a late April/early May return from the injured list for Marte.
Right-hander Kevin Ginkel threw 24 pitches on April 21 in an extended spring training game and will make his next appearance on April 24 when he starts a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Reno, Lovullo said. Ginkel has been sidelined by right shoulder inflammation.
Right-hander Kendall Graveman, who battled back discomfort for much of spring training, faced hitters for the second time in a live batting practice situation on April 22. He is expected to progress to an extended spring game on April 26, Lovullo said.
—Nick Piecoro
Coming up
Wednesday, April 23: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (1-2, 4.09) vs. Rays RHP Taj Bradley (2-1, 5.24).
Thursday, April 24: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Corbin Burnes (0-1, 4.64) vs. Rays RHP Drew Rasmussen (1-1, 0.87).
Friday, April 25: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (1-3, 5.60) vs. Braves LHP Chris Sale (0-2, 6.17).
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
