Here’s the latest from the Diamondbacks, who are clinging to a half-game lead over the Rockies in the NL West…
- Clay Buchholz didn’t want to sign a minor league contract last offseason, though the righty tells Fangraphs’ David Laurila that the experience ended up being “a restart” for him, leading to his eventual revival with the D’Backs. “I swallowed my pride and did that [pitch in the minors] for a little bit. It was for the best, because it helped me get to where I’m at now,” Buchholz said. “It feels good to be able to go out there and throw without anything going on, mentally or physically.” Buchholz initially signed a minors deal with the Royals but was released before pitching for the big league team, only to sign another minor league contract with Arizona and emerge as a big piece of the Diamondbacks’ rotation. In 73 innings for the D’Backs this season, Buchholz has a 2.47 ERA, 3.81 K/BB rate, and a 7.5 K/9.
- Rookie catcher Michael Perez has made a strong first impression with the Rays after being traded from Arizona to Tampa as part of the Matt Andriese deal, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. The seeds of the trade were planted in the offseason when Rays scouts became impressed by Perez while examining the Diamondbacks’ system in preparation for the three-team deal that sent Steven Souza Jr. to Arizona and Brandon Drury to the Yankees. “We were fortunate he was in a position where he was blocked by three catchers there in the big leagues….In a lot of organizations he may have had more of an opportunity than he had at the time in Arizona,” Rays pro scouting director Kevin Ibach said.
- Excellent glovework has been an underrated part of Arizona’s success this year, as Fangraphs’ Jeff Sullivan notes that the Diamondbacks have the best overall defense of any team in baseball. D’Backs pitchers and catchers rank first in the league in combined UZR and Defensive Runs Saved, while their infielders and catchers are also near the top of the list.
I like clay buck holtz
Is 73 innings tantamount to a “big piece” of the rotation? Helpful, yes; major contributor, no.
He’s a big piece of their rotation now
I’m thinking he started later in the season with only 12 starts. Nice to see he’s turned it around. Maybe the “Suchholz” days are behind him
Buck’s performance vis-a-vis his minimal salary is HUGE, quite a bit more than helpful. And he’s used to pitching in a pressure cooker (Boston).
An AMAZING pickup; think of what he would mean to Oakland or Seattle or the Yankees.
Enjoy it, you’ll get 125 innings max.. He is less then dependable
Better than Miller.
And your point is? If he blows up the rest of the year, it was still a plus-plus move. For him and the D-Backs.
The luck of Clay Buchholz, not himself, can turn on a team so quickly. Glad to see he’s found some success but he’s got this weird karma. Can’t explain it, and when it starts getting to his head, it all goes downhill