Arizona Diamondbacks

MLB Senior Vice President for On-Field Operations Michael Hill announced that Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Caleb Smith has received a 10-game suspension and an undisclosed fine after umpires discovered a foreign substance on his glove during his team's 4-2 home win against the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 18.

However, Smith has chosen to appeal the decision, so any punishment is temporarily halted until that case is finalized. The suspension would have started Tuesday.

Upon checking Smith after the reliever finished the eighth inning, the umpire crew determined that left-hander had foreign substances on his glove, leading to an ejection.

Smith was infuriated after hearing the news and had to be restrained. He spoke after the game.

"I’m not stupid," Smith said, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. "I know the two main things they check is your glove and your hat. If I was using something, and I wasn't, I wouldn't put it on my glove or my hat. That's just ignorant."

He added: "If they say they find something on it, that's bulls--t, because there’s nothing on it. If I was cheating, I'd own up to it."

Crew chief Tom Hallion disagreed. 

"The two spots were a foreign substance that had a sticky feeling to it and on the leather lacing on heel [of the glove]," Hallion said. "That's why we all inspected it and agreed it was a foreign substance that was sticky, and that's why he was ejected."

The glove was shipped to MLB's office in New York for further examination, leading to the suspension decision.

Smith is the second pitcher to be ejected this year for foreign substances, with Seattle Mariners left-hander Hector Santiago getting tossed on June 26 versus the Chicago White Sox.

Smith is 4-8 with a 5.20 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 34 games.

Arizona Diamondbacks rookie Tyler Gilbert joined one of the most exclusive clubs in baseball Saturday, throwing a no-hitter in his first career MLB start—just the fourth player in league history to do so and the first since Bobo Holloman in 1953.

The eighth no-hitter of the 2021 season required just 102 pitches as Gilbert, 27, struck out five and walked three in a 7-0 victory against the San Diego Padres and starter Joe Musgrove—who tossed a no-hitter himself earlier this season. 

It's the third no-hitter in Diamondbacks history and the first since Edwin Jackson's epic 149-pitch outing in 2010. 

With his family in attendance, Gilbert primarily used a cutter-fastball combination to mow down a Padres lineup desperately trying to stay alive in the race for the National League West.  

Per Baseball Savant, Gilbert earned 12 called strikes and whiffs with the cutter, 11 from the fastball and used a good combination of luck and defense to keep San Diego from collecting a hit. Manny Machado's 112.2 mile-per-hour liner straight to left field in the fourth inning was the perfect example of that intersection. 

Statcast noted the expected batting average on that type of contact is .810. Left fielder David Peralta only had to take a few steps to his left in order to reel it in. It was one of six exit velocities over 99 mph on Saturday. The other five resulted in four ground outs and a pop fly. 

Even Tommy Pham's game-ending lineout was scorched off the bat at 91.5 mph with an xBa of .750 required only a minor adjustment from Ketel Marte in center to end the game. By that point, Gilbert had already begun celebrating on the mound with his teammates.

He joins Carlos Rodon, John Means, Wade Miley, Spencer Turnbull, Corey Kluber and a combined effort by the Chicago Cubs in completing a no-hitter this season—the most since 1884 and one away from setting the all-time MLB record. 

The 2020 Rule 5 draft pick of the Diamondbacks began the season with the Reno Aces. No matter what happens the rest of the year, he'll end it having etched his name in baseball history in multiple ways. 

The Milwaukee Brewers have announced that they have acquired Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Eduardo Escobar in exchange for a pair of minor league prospects in outfielder Cooper Hummel and infielder Alberto Ciprian.

Escobar is hitting .246 (.778 OPS) with 22 home runs and 65 RBI this season, which marked his first-ever All-Star Game appearance. The 11-year MLB veteran has played for the Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins and D-backs.

Zach Buchanan of The Athletic provided more insight on the prospects:

Escobar is going from the National League West basement to the NL Central penthouse. The Diamondbacks sport an MLB-worst 31-71 record, while the 59-42 Brewers lead their division by seven games.

He sent his regards to the Diamondbacks organization and the team's fans as his four-year stint with Arizona came to a close:

As Adam McCalvy of MLB.com noted, the Brewers could use Escobar at first base against left-handed pitching.

Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also noted that Escobar, who can play second and third, could split time with Luis Urias at third base.

Escobar has never played first base, but Haudricourt also posited that he can see time there as well.

McCalvy also reported that Escobar should be a good addition to the clubhouse too.

"Talking to baseball people about Eduardo Escobar recently, you hear a lot about what he brings to the clubhouse in addition to the batter's box and the field," McCalvy tweeted. "The Brewers obviously hit big in that department with Willy Adames, too."

Milwaukee, which has made the playoffs each of the last three years, is in search of its first pennant since 1982, when it represented the American League against the St. Louis Cardinals in the Fall Classic.

The Brewers are in good position to now represent the National League, especially with this key pickup. Milwaukee's lineup has struggled this year to the tune of a .699 OPS, the fifth-worst mark in the National League.

Adding Escobar to bolster the lineup can only help as the Brewers look to ward off any teams below them in the NL Central standings and look to position themselves for a higher seed in the playoffs.

Arizona Diamondbacks principal owner Ken Kendrick sent former Arizona attorney general Grant Woods a threatening and aggressive email June 19 before Woods was fired from the Phoenix law firm Gallagher & Kennedy, according to a report from Zach Buchanan of The Athletic. 

In the email Woods provided to Buchanan, Kendrick called him "an arrogant assh--e" and said the former AG "should expect a very unfortunate outcome" if the two men met in the future. 

The email read in full:

“Dean Short emailed your comments in the AZ Republic regarding the Dbacks and me. Of course, I don't subscribe to that publication or have any respect for you and your self serving public statements. However, my reaction to your comments is that you are an arrogant assh--e! A truly toxic combination. It is sad that G&K, a quality law firm, has employed you. I suggest that if our paths ever cross, which I hope they won't, you should expect a very unfortunate outcome.

“P.S.  I suspect if my dear friend Mike Kennedy were still with us, he would kick you out of the firm.”

The email was in response to the following tweet Woods sent on June 17:

The Arizona Republic then posted the tweet in its sports section.

The law firm represents the Diamondbacks, though Woods told The Athletic he never did so personally. G&K managing partner Dean Short denied that Kendrick pressured the firm to fire Woods:

The tweet by Grant Woods disparaging one of the firm's most valued clients was the catalyst for Grant’s dismissal from the firm. Ken Kendrick's reaction to the tweet had no bearing on the decision to terminate Grant. Further, at no time did Mr. Kendrick or anyone else at the Diamondbacks request, or even suggest, to me or anyone else at Gallagher & Kennedy that Grant be terminated.

Woods said he believed the "unfortunate outcome" line represented "threatening and intimidating" language under Arizona law, which would be a Class 1 misdemeanor. 

"As a former prosecutor, I can tell you that's definitely a threat under the Arizona statute and the case law," he told Buchanan. “Under the case law, it says that even if I don't take it seriously, it's still a threat. I don't know what else you can take that as."

"It could easily be that (he's) threatening a lawsuit or something else," criminal defense attorney Aaron M. Black countered, per Buchanan. “There's nothing there that specifically says that it's an injury."

Kendrick, 78, became the team's managing general partner in 2004. In that time, the Diamondbacks have made the postseason three times, have posted six winning seasons and registered nine losing campaigns.

He became a controversial figure earlier this year when Alex Schultz of SFGate.com reported that he donated $2,800 to the campaign of QAnon sympathizer Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican from Colorado, in 2020. 

Texas high school shortstop Jordan Lawlar is going to be the crown jewel of the Arizona Diamondbacks' farm system after he was selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft. 

An 18-year-old standout at Jesuit College Prep School in Dallas, he has been regarded as one of the top talents in the 2021 class since he was a sophomore. 

At the Perfect Game National Showcase in June 2020, Lawlar ran 60 feet in 6.45 seconds and showed elite-level arm strength at shortstop: 

"Has very easy and smooth actions in the middle infield, hands are very quick and clean at the ball, rounds the ball with maturity and has a quick exchange and release, plays defense in an easy comfort zone with an advanced inner clock. Right-handed hitter, hits from a slightly open stance with a short and quick inside swing, ball comes off the barrel hard, high contact middle of the field approach that can grow as he gets stronger, projects well offensively."

Lawlar went on to win the Jackie Robinson Perfect Game Player of the Year as a junior. Jeff Dahn of Perfect Game noted the blue-chip shortstop hit .485/.561/.848 in an abbreviated 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

MLB.com ranked him as the third-best player in the draft, behind California high school shortstop Marcelo Mayer and Vanderbilt ace Jack Leiter, and compared him to Bobby Witt when he was the No. 2 pick by the Kansas City Royals in 2019.

If Lawlar's development goes as expected, he will be a key contributor in Arizona in the near future after some time in the minor leagues.

Considering the Diamondbacks haven't made the playoffs since the 2017 campaign and they sit in last place in the National League West at 26-65 this season, they could use the reinforcements down the line.

Call it the Curse of the Faux-Hitter.

On April 25, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Madison Bumgarner tossed a complete game without allowing a hit against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Yet because the outing came in a league-mandated seven-inning doubleheader, Major League Baseball didn't classify the 7-0 victory as a no-hitter.

The Diamondbacks haven't won on the road since.

The D-backs lost 13-7 Wednesday night in San Francisco for their 22nd straight road loss. That ties the MLB record for consecutive road losses, an ignominious mark shared by the 1943 Philadelphia Athletics and 1963 New York Mets.

The loss dropped Arizona to 20-49 on the year, the fewest wins of any team.

Despite taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, starter Merrill Kelly gave up four runs in the bottom half of the frame as Arizona quickly fell behind 13-2 by the fifth inning. A five-run top of the sixth narrowed the gap, but not enough for a D-backs comeback against their division rival.

Entering Wednesday, Arizona had been outscored 114-50 in road games since April 25 with just nine home wins sprinkled in.

Good and bad teams alike have found success when the D-backs have paid a visit, with Arizona dropping games to the Miami Marlins, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics during the losing streak.

Yet, Tuesday's loss at the Giants may have been the most difficult to stomach.

The Diamondbacks held an 8-3 lead after five innings only to have Mike Yastrzemski launch a go-ahead grand slam into McCovey Cove in the bottom of the eighth inning off Humberto Castellanos on a 1-2 pitch with two outs in an eventual 9-8 loss.

Arizona will look to avoid a record 23rd straight road loss when it closes out a four-game series in San Francisco on Thursday afternoon. Zac Gallen returns to the mound for the D-backs after spraining his UCL, and he will face likely All-Star Kevin Gausman.

Arizona Diamondbacks executive vice president and general manager Mike Hazen has taken a leave of absence as his wife, Nicole, undergoes treatment for glioblastoma.

"First off, what I want to say, is that Nicole is doing OK," Hazen said Friday, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com).

"She's grinding along. But being realistic about the journey we're on right now, knowing what my job demands, and knowing the most important thing to me, this is demanding a percentage of my time that's starting to creep into the ability for me to do (my job) here physically."

The Diamondbacks general manager added that he "had to be honest about where I needed to be physically more often than not."

Both Hazen and Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall said there is no timetable for the GM's return. 

Diamondbacks assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye will handle day-to-day operations, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Per the Mayo Clinic, glioblastoma is an "aggressive type of cancer that can occur in the brain or spinal cord."

Nicole Hazen was diagnosed with a brain tumor in July 2020. She and Mike Hazen have four sons: Charlie, John, Teddy and Sam.

Hazen has served in his current role since October 2016. He worked for Cleveland (2001-2005) and the Boston Red Sox (2006-2016) before arriving in Arizona.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have stumbled to a 20-41 start this season, and a firesale could be on the horizon. 

According to Robert Murray of Fansided, "rival executives say that outfielder David Peralta is among the players the Diamondbacks have already made available."

Murray added that Ketel Marte, Asdrubal Cabrera and Eduardo Escobar are also potential trade chips for the cellar-dweller Diamondbacks.

Peralta, 33, is hitting .245 this season with four homers, 30 RBI and 25 runs. While he's never been able to replicate his 2018 Silver Slugger campaign (30 homers, 87 RBI)—in fact, he's never hit 20 or more home runs in a season outside of that year—he's a solid offensive option who generally hits for a solid average and has a career .342 on-base percentage. 

He's also solid in the field, winning a Gold Glove in 2019. 

He wouldn't be a short-term rental, either, as he's under contract through the 2022 season on a $7.5 million salary. 

It would be a major change of scenery for Peralta were he dealt, however, as he's spent his entire eight-year MLB career with the Diamondbacks. But with Arizona already well out of the postseason picture, barring a stunning turnaround, Peralta's odds of being moved this season are high. 

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Madison Bumgarner was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday with left shoulder inflammation.

The Diamondbacks recalled Humberto Castellanos from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Bumgarner is 4-5 with a 5.73 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 12 starts this season.

The four-time All-Star has gone through wildly inconsistent stretches throughout 2021. He began the season with three straight games giving up five or more runs in five or fewer innings, then transitioned to a run of six straight outings where he gave up two or fewer runs.

In his three final starts before hitting the injured list, Bumgarner took another downturn, giving up 19 runs in 12 innings. He left Wednesday's start against the New York Mets after being shelled for five runs on eight hits in two innings. 

After the game, Bumgarner said he had been feeling the discomfort for two or three weeks.

"This is just bad judgment on my part," Bumgarner told reporters. "I thought it was going to get better and go away sooner. The last three to four days it's gotten worse and affected my pitching."

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Madison Bumgarner exited Wednesday's 7-6 loss to the New York Mets with left shoulder discomfort and will undergo an MRI.

Bumgarner allowed five earned runs and eight hits in two innings.

Injuries derailed Bumgarner's 2020 season, his first with the Diamondbacks, so any additional problems are cause for concern.

The veteran went on the injured list in early August with a mid-back strain, and he ended his year with a 6.48 ERA in nine starts. Though it was a shortened season, his ERA, WHIP (1.44) and strikeouts per nine innings (6.5) were all the worst in his career.

Bumgarner fared better in his second year with the team, producing a 5.15 ERA prior to Wednesday's game.

Arizona had high hopes for the starter after signing him to a five-year, $85 million deal. He had been one of the top pitchers in baseball during his 11 seasons with the San Francisco Giants, earning four All-Star selections while accumulating a 3.13 ERA.

The 31-year-old was especially known for his postseason heroics, helping the Giants win three World Series while totaling a 2.11 playoff ERA in 16 appearances.

Though the Diamondbacks are looking for similar production out of Bumgarner, the first challenge will be keeping him healthy.