Today’s Lineups
The words “national treasure” get thrown around a lot, and not just in reference to the Nicolas Cage movie of the same name (a film for which I harbor a deep hatred). There are a few people who likely deserve the label. Mel Brooks in the US. Sir David Attenborough in the UK. But today we lost one person for whom the label is entirely appropriate, with the sad announcement of Dolly Parton’s passing. Now I am as far from a country music fan as can be imagined (and do not get me started on “New Country”). But even I have an affection for its undeniable queen. That the “Philanthropy” section on her Wikipedia page is almost as long as that about her career says all you need to know.
Anyway, back at Chase Field, the D-backs will be hoping for better performances all round compared to last night, where just about every single aspect of the team’s game was found wanting. Though I’m also curious to see whether Merrill Kelly will be back on the top step at the far end of the dugout, staring at the Cubs third-base coach… Though it appears Torey Lovullo apologized to Craig Counsell today for the spat, after getting clarification that the Cubs were within the rules. The fix will be to stop Kelly giving away pitches: “It’s up to us to fix it, and we’re doing that right now.”
Another dose of scoreboard watching in prospect, with the Padres and Phillies games both getting under way at exactly the same time as the D-backs. Hopefully, Brandon Pfaadt will be able to put some pressure on them, rather than us being left to cross our fingers and hope the Pirates and Mariners will do us a favor. Brandon’s renaissance hit a bit of a bump in Boston as his eight-game homerless streak came to an abrupt end with a trio of long balls. Arizona still scratched out the win in extras, but if he can get back to form, that’d be helpful. He did pitch against the Cubs earlier in the season but that was 2.2 innings in relief, so hard to say if that’s relevant.
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