When Blaze Alexander stepped out of the dugout to pinch hit for Joc Pederson with the bases loaded in the 7th inning against the A’s, he thought he was going to face left-hander T.J. McFarland. Oakland manager Mark Kotsay went to his bullpen however, bringing in right-hander and former Arizona Diamondback Austin Adams.
At that point, Alexander went back to the dugout to get some information about Adams. He had a conversation with Christian Walker, who encouraged him to step up and be aggressive with the fastball. Alexander did just that, ripping a sharp two-run single through the hole to put the D-backs ahead 3-1. The D-backs went on to win the game 5-1.
Brandon Pfaadt pitched six strong innings, allowing just one run on a solo homer. He took a no-decision while lowering his ERA to 4.28. Joe Mantiply, Ryan Thompson and Paul Sewald locked down the final three innings as Arizona won the series two games to one.
The decision to pinch hit Alexander at that moment seemed curious at first glance. DH Joc Pederson, a left-hand batter, has been one of the best hitters on the team this year. But Torey Lovullo had other thoughts.
Lovullo knew that he would get the right on right matchup if he pinch hit with Blaze. “I thought that I knew Austin Adams well enough. I thought he was going to be around the plate, out over with the potential of maybe not throwing three strikes before he threw four balls.”
At the same time, Lovullo was concerned about the double play. McFarland year in year out has one of the highest ground ball per opportunity rates in the majors. This year is no exception, as he’s induced the ground ball DP seven times in 30 chances, 23%. That’s more than double league average. This is exactly why Lovullo was concerned with that matchup.
“The McFarland sinker with Pederson, maybe we put the ball on the ground, and I know that’s what they wanted. I liked the idea of Austin Adams being in the game over TJ McFarland, and then I was just going to let the hitter do their thing.”
Walker, who had three hits and two RBI of his own, explained from his angle what he had to say to Alexander prior to the at bat. “I was familiar with Austin a little bit playing behind him last year. He spins a lot of stuff. He can be really effective but also there’s moments where you’ve got to trust the trend of the game.”
“It’s not like a take till you get a strike situation, but I told Blaze, just to try to give him a little bit of confidence to know what to expect and trust that you can take a pitch and take the shape and still go out and be aggressive.”
Alexander is one of the most popular players in the clubhouse, with fans, and with the media as well. He’s always ready with a smile, a handshake, and even a hug at times, no matter how things are going. It’s infectious.
Said Walker, “He’s great. A+. Fun energy, good dude, hard worker. You know one of those guys that’s just super easy to root for. I’m happy to have him as a teammate.”
Pfaadt, who played a lot in the minors with Alexander, echoed Walker’s sentiments.
“If there’s anybody on the team you love seeing Blaze come through, he’s the same person every day regardless if he’s struggling or hitting the best he’s ever hit. Seeing him come through big in a big situation later in the game is awesome to see.”
“We played a lot in the minors together and I’ve seen him struggle, I’ve seen him be great, he’s been the same guy for the last three years. There’s nobody else I’d root for besides Blaze.”
The Diamondbacks head out on the road to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers for three games starting Tuesday. Ryne Nelson starts for Arizona and Bobby Miller pitches for Los Angeles. First pitch 7:10 P.M. MST.