The ball left Corbin Carroll‘s bat at 110 mph and was headed toward the right-center field gap before San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill made a sliding grab. The play from the first inning on Thursday night, Aug. 6, was the sort of tough-luck moment that sums up how Carroll has been feeling at the plate in recent weeks.
For the better part of a month, the Diamondbacks have been playing as well as any team in baseball. Somehow, they have been doing it without much in the way of offensive contributions from Carroll or Ketel Marte, their top two hitters.
For his part, Carroll says he still has “a long way to go” to feel the way he wants against right-handed pitchers, but he doesn’t think the numbers he has been putting up lately — he is hitting just .211 since the All-Star break — accurately reflect how he has been feeling.
“I think if you look at the expected numbers since the break they’ve been pretty good,” Carroll said. “I think we talked earlier in the year and I felt like the batted-ball luck had kind of gone my way. I kind of feel the opposite of that right now. I feel like a lot of balls I’m putting in play are finding a man out there. I’m trying not to get too caught up in that and go out there and keep playing and not press for results.”
1 / 42 / 43 / 44 / 4Carroll is right about his expected numbers. Since the break, his expected average (.248) and slug (.469) are better than his actual average (.211) and slug (.469).
He said he has been working in the batting cage using balls that generate “extra ride,” which has helped him keep from getting under balls and popping them up.
“Just hitting a few more balls on a line,” he said. “That’s probably been the biggest thing, I would say. Just a little less extreme with the ball flight, a few more line drives.”
Other than that, he credits a couple of days off after the All-Star Game with helping him deal with some “nagging” injuries.
“The little stuff adds up,” he said. “I haven’t had any off days. Only off days I’ve taken have been because I’ve not been able to go. I think having a couple of days over the break, that Wednesday and Thursday, has helped.”
, Burnes updates
The Diamondbacks will no longer have the services of left-handed reliever A.J. Puk this season, manager Torey Lovullo announced prior to the team’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, Aug. 7.
Puk has been shut down about two months after the onset of left shoulder discomfort during a rehab outing with Triple-A Reno in June. He had already been trying to come back from left elbow surgery last year.
“He will just rest and recover through the rest of this year, through the offseason and get ready for a very healthy ’27,” Lovullo said.
“He worked as hard as he possibly could, it just didn’t work out for him this year.”
Right-handed pitcher Zac Gallen (elbow inflammation) met with Lovullo after recent imaging and threw a 25-pitch bullpen on Aug. 7. He reported feeling good.
Right-hander Corbin Burnes (right shoulder strain) also threw a 25-pitch bullpen session.
Outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (right adductor strain) needs his recent imaging evaluated after an injury setback, but Lovullo said he is “still on a very good path.”
Right-handed pitcher Ryne Nelson (strained right elbow) is feeling good after throwing off flat ground on Aug. 7. Reliever Ryan Thompson (strained back) will start his progression on Aug. 10 and outfielder Tommy Troy will take live batting practice on Aug. 8 to test out his injured shoulder.
Right-hander Drey Jameson (hip injury) will throw in a facility game at Salt River Fields. Outfielder Jordan Lawlar (hamstring) will play in his third Double-A game on Friday and is set to play on Aug. 8, with the possibility of moving on to play rehab games at Triple-A Reno.
“We’re getting very close with him,” Lovullo said of Lawlar. “He’s missed here. He’s going to help this team win baseball games. And when he comes back, we need him at 100 percent where he can play the same type of back-to-back games.”
Right-handed pitcher Justin Martinez (elbow surgery recovery) was scheduled to pitch for Class A Visalia in a rehab outing in Fresno, and right-handed pitcher Michael Soroka is getting close to a return after throwing a bullpen session at Chase Field on Aug. 7.
Lefty Blake Walston is pitching in games after long-term rehab from left elbow surgery and is set to throw two innings and 35 pitches in Reno.
back to bigs
The Diamondbacks recalled right-handed reliever Kade Strowd from Triple-A Reno on Friday, Aug. 7, after they optioned lefty Kohl Drake to Reno following his 3⅔-inning effort on Thursday, Aug. 6 in a loss to San Diego.
“Kohl unfortunately hit some bumps in the road,” Lovullo said. “We needed the extra reliever. We tapped into it a little bit (Thursday) with our length guy (three innings from Philip Abner). Strowd coming up here has been throwing the ball real good in Triple-A. He’s able to give us multiple innings.”
Diamondbacks 3B Nolan Arenado was announced as the Diamondbacks’ Heart and Hustle Award winner for the 2026 season, an honor handed out by the Major League Baseball Players Association.
The award is annually given to active players who exemplify a true passion for the game and who best embody the spirit, values and traditions of the game of baseball.
Arenado, in his 13th MLB season, will be presented the award prior to the Diamondbacks-Dodgers game on Saturday, Aug. 8.
Former Diamondbacks Paul Goldschmidt (Yankees) and Jake McCarthy (Rockies) were the honorees for their respective teams.
Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (8-9, 5.04) vs. Dodgers RHP Roki Sasaki (5-5, 4.64).
At Chase Field: Kelly had been on a good roll until he gave up five earned runs at Cleveland on Sunday, Aug. 2. In that game, he had five strikeouts, four walks and ran his streak to 16 games pitching at least five innings. No team has given Kelly fits like the Dodgers. Kelly is 0-11 in 17 career starts against L.A., with 16 home runs given up in his career. … Sasaki has won his past two starts and has clearly improved as a starting pitcher over last season. His numbers aren’t out-of-this-world great, but the 24-year-old from Japan has made 19 starts after an injury-filled 2025. Opponents have 20 home runs off Sasaki in his 99 innings of work in 2026. He’ll make his second career start and third appearance against the Diamondbacks.
Saturday, Aug. 8: At Chase Field, 5:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (6-1, 3.66) vs. Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (11-7, 2.76).
Sunday, Aug. 9: At Chase Field, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (10-4, 2.71) vs. Dodgers LHP Justin Wrobleski (11-3, 3.31).
Monday, Aug. 10: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Michael Soroka (8-3, 3.07) vs. Rockies RHP Gabriel Hughes (0-3, 4.25).
(This story will be updated with more information.)
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Dodgers at Diamondbacks updates. Carroll’s tough luck; AJ Puk done
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