Recaps
[AZ Central] Brandon Pfaadt’s latest gem leads Diamondbacks past Braves – In his latest impressive start — and probably his best yet during his recent stretch — Pfaadt fired seven shutout innings of two-hit ball before handing off to the bullpen. Pfaadt struck out seven and did not walk a batter. The Diamondbacks got a run-scoring groundout from Gabriel Moreno in the first inning and a solo homer from Tim Tawa in the top of the ninth. The run in the first was helped along by a misplay in left field by the Braves’ Mauricio Dubon. The Diamondbacks won despite going 0 for 14 with runners in scoring position. Pfaadt has been on an incredible run since rejoining the rotation in late June. In nine starts, he has a 1.15 ERA in 54 2/3 innings.
Team news
[Dbacks.com] Marte day to day after exiting early due to left knee soreness – In the bottom of the first inning at Truist Park, Marte ranged to his right to attempt to field a Drake Baldwin ground ball and twisted awkwardly in the process. Marte stayed in the game for the remainder of the first inning. “It’s been something that’s been bothering him for a couple of days since the Padres series [Aug. 3-6],” said manager Torey Lovullo. “He’s been trying to gut it out, and he moved to his left and it just got to be a little bit too much for him.”
[Arizona Sports] Will Zac Gallen play a role for the 2026 Diamondbacks again? – Manager Torey Lovullo said Gallen is getting close to facing live hitters, after which point he could jump into a Bridge League game and get closer to building up for a return. “I feel good knowing that he’s hungry and he wants to come back,” Lovullo told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo. “What I’ve told Zac and Ryne Nelson is just get healthy, we can’t force a timeline until you’re healthy. Both are now healthy, and they are ramping up so where does it lead us with Zac, it’s unknown. He’s just going to continue this build up. … If you get up to three (innings) and 50 (pitches) at a certain point, then we’ll start to really integrate the idea of getting him back into this situation as a starting pitcher.”
[SI] Diamondbacks Give New Injury Update on Jordan Lawlar, Justin Martinez – Lawlar has been rehabbing a hamstring injury with the Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles. After a slow start, the center fielder has crushed home runs in back-to-back games. Lawlar did not play in Thursday’s game, but Lovullo said the plan is for him to get into a bit more minor league action before he can make a return to a major league playing field. “Lawlar’s going to play a couple more games in a row and see how he feels. Stay tuned. It’s looking very positive,” Arizona’s manager said. He did, however, say it could be “within the week” to see both Lawlar and Martinez make their return to the MLB roster.
And, elsewhere…
[ESPN] San Francisco Giants to host 2028 MLB All-Star Game – Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced Friday that the 2028 Midsummer Classic will be at Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. The 2007 game was played in the picturesque waterfront ballpark, featuring now-Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki’s famous inside-the-park home run that bounced off the tricky wall in right-center field. “With its passionate fanbase, world-class ballpark, and rich baseball history, San Francisco will be an outstanding host for All-Star Week, which culminates in one of Major League Baseball’s best traditions, the Midsummer Classic,” Manfred said in a statement. “We look forward to bringing the excitement of All-Star Week and the celebration of baseball to the Bay Area.”
[MLB.com] How baseball’s unorthodox pitchers found their way – These days, pitching sure feels like it’s defined by velocity, which continues to tick up.But there’s a small group of pitchers who don’t rely on velo at all. They play baseball like it was first designed to be played. In 1845, the New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club spelled out the first surviving rules of baseball. They noted that “the ball must be pitched, not thrown, for the bat.” That’s right. Everyone threw underhanded, a mandate that required the pitcher to throw with a stiff wrist and elbow. No one does this anymore, unless, well, you squint a bit. Then, you’ll see that some players are still carrying the mantle. While they don’t throw underhanded, they most certainly don’t deliver the ball over the top, either. [Significant section here on Arizona’s Ryan Thompson]
[Reddit] Teams average weight vs speed
