Yasmany Tomas has best day of spring in return to Arizona lineup
Mar 26, 2017, 4:42 PM | Updated: Mar 27, 2017, 7:37 am
Arizona Diamondbacks' Yasmany Tomas follows the flight of his single off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jon Gray in the seventh inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016, in Denver. AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Diamondbacks lineup is coming together at the right time.
Two days after Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock returned to Cactus League action, Yasmany Tomas did the same.
Goldschmidt had simply missed time because he was away at the World Baseball Classic, but Pollock and Tomas – both expected to contribute in a big way offensively this season – were working their way back from injuries.
Pollock is obviously the big one, having delivered one of the better seasons of any hitter in baseball two years ago.
He missed all but 12 games in 2016 — while the groin injury that sidelined him from March 12-24 wasn’t expected to be a big deal –, but Arizona fans were still holding their breath until they saw him back on the field, looking healthy again.
Tomas doesn’t have quite the resume that Pollock has, but he did lead the team with 31 home runs a year ago. He went 0-for-17 to start Cactus League play, however, then was sidelined for a couple weeks with a strained oblique. So getting him back a week before Opening Day was a welcome sight for the D-backs as well.
The 26-year old left fielder coaxed a walk in his first at-bat against the Indians on Sunday, coming around to score on a double by Daniel Descalso in the second inning. He then ripped a double of his own down the right-field line in the third, for his first hit of the spring. In the fifth, he picked up his first RBI by flying out to deep right and forcing Cleveland outfielder Abraham Almonte to make the catch within inches of the warning track. Jeremy Hazelbaker scored on the play.
RAY STRUGGLES
On the mound, Robbie Ray was touched up for the first time all spring. He served up a pair of home runs in the first, yielding five runs before the D-backs even got to bat. He ultimately finished with a line of six earned runs allowed on six hits and three walks, with four strikeouts spread out over 4.0 innings of work.
Ray entered the day with a 2.70 ERA over 16.2 innings of Cactus League work but saw that number jump to 4.79 for the spring. He did like how he was able to respond after the rough opening frame.
“Other than that first inning I felt like I did a good job of, when I got guys on base, eliminating the threat,” he explained. “That’s the name of the game.”
The 25-year old lefty was also ejected for arguing with home plate umpire Bill Miller in the bottom of the fourth as a hitter. He wasn’t interested in elaborating on the exchange afterward.
“That’s between me and him. I’m not going to comment on that.”
Ray is set to make one more start this spring on March 31 against Cleveland again. He’s already earned a spot in the rotation to begin the year.
BASE HITS
– Arizona lost the game by a final of 6-5, falling to 13-13-2 in Cactus League play.
– David Peralta launched a 1-0 Trevor Bauer pitch into the row of cactuses along the center field wall in the third inning for his second home run of the spring.
– Michael Brantley and Chris Colabello each homered for Cleveland.
– New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was in attendance for the game.
– Arizona will host the Los Angeles Angels at Salt River Fields on Monday. First pitch is set for 1:10.
