A Saguaro Cctus grows through the roof of a home in Tucson, Arizona,on November 19, 2023. The park has the largest concentration of iconic saguaro cacti in the country, approximately two million of the towering desert plants. These resilient cacti that evolved to cope with ultra-arid environments are facing hidden threats as a result of a drought that began around 30 years ago. During this period buffelgrass, began to colonize the park. This invasive weed, introduced from Africa as livestock fodder, fuels fires that have ravaged saguaros in the past, as in 1994 and 1999. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Jim McLennan
·
3 min read
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Today's Lineups
REDS
DIAMONDBACKS
Elly De La Cruz – SS
Ildemaro Vargas – 2B
Sal Stewart – 1B
Corbin Carroll – RF
Dane Myers – CF
Gabriel Moreno – DH
Tyler Stephenson – DH
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Eugenio Suarez – 3B
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Matt McLain – 2B
Tim Tawa – 1B
JJ Bleday – LF
Jordan Lawlar – CF
Will Banfield – C
James McCann – C
Hector Rodriguez – RF
Ryan Waldschmidt – LF
Andrew Abbott – LHP
Mitch Bratt – LHP
Roster moves
The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs' 40-man roster is at 39.
Reinstated from the 15-day injured list:RHP Drey Jameson (right hip inflammation, retro to July 20)
Designated for assignment:RHP Zack Littell
Can't say this one comes as any surprise. After a surprisingly good first outing for Littell, in his last two outings, we've seen precisely why Littell got dumped by the Nationals. No big though. Someone had to pitch those innings, and having thoroughly burned him yesterday – probably saving three "proper" relievers from having to work those innings – now is a good time to make the move. Jameson last threw on the 19th, tossing 34 pitches, but since it was for Reno, it doesn't show up above. He'd still be good to pitch today, but hopefully Mitch Bratt will be able to go longer than three innings this time.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
With the Padres and Phillies both winning yesterday, the loss for the D-backs definitely hurt the team's playoff chances. While a loss this afternoon wouldn't be the end of the season, it wouldn't exactly help. Both San Diego and Philadelphia have been on a tear of late. While Arizona hasn't been playing badly, they just haven't been able to keep up. Since July 9, the D-backs are 23-15, the second-best record in the NL over that time. The problem is, the Padres have been better still, at 24-15, and the Phillies aren't far behind on 21-16. So while we have improved significantly from a 45-47 mark, the amount of ground we've been able to make up on that pair is minimal.
The Diamondbacks do have to face both those teams, and I suspect the results there might go a long way to determining the outcome of the campaign. Both season series are very much to be decided, which would be the first tiebreaker in the event of equal records, so if effectively a "+1" on the record for the winning team. But taking care of business also means not dropping series at home to teams like the Reds. With the Phillies losing at time of writing to the Cardinals, victory this afternoon would sure be nice. And please stick around for the guest recap, today brought to you byJustRonn.
