The Arizona Diamondback have yet to find any kind of stride in Spring Training this year. The team is 5-15 and holds the dubious honor of owning the lowest Spring Training winning percentage in all of Major League Baseball. We get it, this is just spring, but worst is still worst and skipper Kirk Gibson can only say that it doesn't matter so much.
"I'm not going to stand here and be negative. We're disappointed to lose games like we've been losing them. We'll leave it at that," Gibson said after Sunday's loss to the Cubs.
Errors
One area of concern continues to fielding with the D-backs racking up a league-worst 25 errors through the spring campaign. There are, however, some positive signs in those numbers.
The D-backs have player more games (20) then any other team so their errors per game number is "only" 1.25 which puts them at "only" 26th-worst in MLB. Making that news even "better" is two division rivals -- San Diego and Los Angeles -- have even more errors per game than Arizona.
Looking closer to home, the errors committed continue to mostly be from guys who won't be playing much come opening day. Three errors from Konrad Schmidt just isn't anything to be worried about (unless you are Mrs. Schmidt).
The notable exception to that is Geoff Blum, who leads the team with five E's (four at third, one at short). Blum won't be seeing much time at short this season and has been forced to play more third lately due to Melvin Mora's car injury. He should be back on Tuesday.
Duke dinged hard
One guy who won't be back soon is left-handed pitcher Zach Duke. Duke, you might recall, is battling with Armando Galarraga, Barry Enright, and Aaron Heilman for a job on the pitching staff. Zach was hit by a line drive on Saturday versus the Rookies and won't be able to throw for four weeks. He's not expected to be ready to pitch again until mid-May.
"It was very sensitive in the area, but I'm kind of surprised that there's two broken bones in there," Duke said. "Can't change it, just gotta deal with it."
Duke had given up 18 hits and seven earned runs through eight innings pitched and has an ERA of 7.88.
Roster cuts
The Diamondbacks announced a series of roster cuts that essentially shipped all the minor league guys back to the minor league. Notable names include Jarrod Parker, Wade Miley, and slugger Paul Goldschmidt. Here's the full run down:
The Arizona Diamondbacks announced today they have optioned right-handed pitchers Josh Collmenter and Kevin Mulvey, left-handed pitcher Zach Kroenke, catcher John Hester and outfielder Cole Gillespie to Triple-A Reno, left-handed pitcher Leyson Septimo to Double-A Mobile and right-handed pitcher Yonata Ortega to Single-A Advanced Visalia and reassigned right-handed pitchers Jarrod Parker and Daniel Stange, left-handed pitcher Wade Miley, infielders Paul Goldschmidt and Chris Owings and outfielders Collin Cowgill and A.J. Pollock to minor league camp, according to D-backs' Executive Vice President and General Manager Kevin Towers.
The D-backs' now have 40 players in Major League camp, 32 on the 40-man roster and 8 non-roster players.
D-backs links
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Arizona Diamondbacks' Russell Branyan makes big case for roster spot
"I'm looking at our team, and you ask yourself, 'Is there a guy you'd like to have off your bench?' " Gibson said. "The closers in our division are right-handed. That would maybe lend well to a guy like Russell."
Arizona Diamondbacks' Tyler Skaggs looking to prove doubters wrong
He said this week he tries not to read the reports that say the Diamondbacks didn't get enough in the Haren deal, but in the same breath says he wants to justify the team's belief in him. "It's not a big deal to me," Skaggs said, "but I still want to go out and prove people wrong, to show people that I'm worth the trade."