Diamondbacks’ Torey Lovullo hits back at allegations related to Carlos Correa incident

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ 13-6 loss to the Minnesota Twins in the Chase is now a minor matter following the failures of D-Backs relief pitcher Bryce Jarvis. His inaccurate throws have now caused the Twins to worry about injuries to two of their most important players.

In the sixth inning, Byron Buxton was hit by the first pitch of his batting appearance but stayed in the game. Then, in the seventh inning, Jarvis caught Carlos Correa with another first down, forcing the shortstop to immediately go to the dugout as he held his arm in pain. Jarvis finished the inning before Justin Martinez and Joe Mantiply ended the game.

After the loss, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo defended Jarvis, saying that their team was not a retaliatory hitter who intentionally hits the batter.

“I want to make a comment on that. I don’t believe in taking a baseball and intentionally throwing it at a batter,” Lovullo said. “When we get beat up and beat up by a team that’s doing what they’re supposed to do and we hit the batters, I think that’s one of the most cowardly acts that can happen. I can assure you that Bryce Jarvis wasn’t trying to throw at anyone. We don’t have that reputation.”

Since Lovullo’s first season as manager of the Diamondbacks in 2017, they are one of only two MLB teams (and the only one in the National League) to hit fewer than 400 batters with pitches. In fact, Arizona doesn’t hit batters nearly as often as other teams. Jarvis had already hit three batters this season. But what Arizona is right now is a team with brutal pitching that is in danger of missing the postseason because of it.

Diamondbacks’ pitching problems continue even after loss to the Twins

The Diamondbacks fell behind early after Jordan Montgomery allowed eight runs (only half of them earned runs) in just 2.2 innings. Their offense put up a passable fight, but with Minnesota crushing them at the plate, culminating in a monster 480-foot home run by Buxton, the comeback would have been a herculean effort.

With a record of 39-42, the Diamondbacks are still within striking distance of a postseason appearance, but their top pitchers are in dire need of recovery from injuries. Without Zac Gallen (hamstring), Merrill Kelly (right shoulder) or new addition Eduardo Rodriguez (left shoulder), the Snakes must make do with a starting pitching staff that is among the worst in the entire MLB.

Gallen’s return is imminent, but Kelly and Rodriguez, who has yet to make his season debut after signing a big contract with the Diamondbacks in the offseason, have much more progress to make. Compounding those problems is the fact that Corbin Carroll and Eugenio Suarez have had poor seasons at bat, posting OPSs of .612 and .586, respectively. The offense around them has been fine, thanks to spectacular seasons from Ketel Marte and Joc Pederson and decent seasons from other players. They’ve been unlucky with pitching, however.

The Diamondbacks can become a dangerous team again if they get healthy, but they should also make a lot of decisions before the July 30 trade deadline.