Lovullo: D-backs remain patient with Jake Lamb against lefty pitchers

Behind Diamondbacks teammate Paul Goldschmidt in the batting order, Jake Lamb has been raking this year.

He leads the team with 12 home runs and is second in on-base percentage, slugging and wins above replacement. Consider then, how drastic his splits are against right-handed pitchers (.342/.435/.701) compared to left-handed pitchers (.152/.250/.261), and it’s a wonder how good he could be once he improves against fellow lefties.

That thought dominates D-backs manager Torey Lovullo’s thinking, not whether the skipper should replace Lamb in the lineup any time the third baseman matches up against a southpaw.

“We’re not going to enter into a platoon situation,” Lovullo told Burns and Gambo Tuesday on 98.7 FM, Arizona’s Sports Station. “Defensively, he’s improving. Offensively, he’s well above league-average for numbers. We’re not going to get in the way of his process and his progression.

“We have to stay with him, we have to stand by him because he’s a bet that he’s going to figure out how to (succeed against lefties),” Lovullo added. “If we didn’t have patience in this game, we wouldn’t have young players evolving. Sometimes you have to lose the battle to win the war.”

Sticking with Lamb paid off Wednesday.

Against White Sos left-hander Jose Quintana, Lamb smacked a two-run home run off a heart-of-the-zone fastball.

“I obviously know — I know what’s going on but at the same time, I’m not putting any extra pressure on myself. I’m just happy where I’m at mentally, I’m in a good spot,” Lamb said after Wednesday’s game. “Hopefully, the results will come just with more ABs and me continuing to work at it.”

It was just his second home run against a left-hander this year. The result was also a rare event for Quintana, who hadn’t allowed a homer to a southpaw the last 72 lefty at-bats.

Arizona may not bench Lamb against lefties, but it did recently move him down in the order against left-handers.

In a 5-1 loss to the San Diego Padres and southpaw Clayton Richard on Sunday, Lovullo moved Lamb to the seventh spot for the first time this year. On Wednesday, Lamb again found himself batting seventh.

Lovullo said Lamb was all-aboard regarding his moving around the batting order.

“In true Jake Lamb fashion, he laid down his guard and he said, ‘I am on board with whatever you want to do and whatever’s best for the team.'” Lovullo said.

TUNED UP GREINKE

Following Zack Greinke’s 8.2 innings of one-run, shutdown pitching against the White Sox on Monday, the D-backs ace ranks among the elite.

Tied for third in wins above replacement among pitchers, he ranks behind only Chris Sale and Clayton Kershaw, and is tied with Stephen Strasburg and Chris Archer. Greinke (6-2) is the fifth pitcher to reach six wins at this point in the year.

His fastball command, day-and-night compared to last season, has set up his repertoire.

Lovullo said Tuesday that watching Greinke tinker outside of game situations since spring has been an enjoyable experience.

“It’s those little things that you watch Zack work on on the side in spring training when he’s all by himself and doing dry drills, or he’s taking time through his bullpen and he’s really working through things methodically,” Lovullo said. “He’s perfecting the thought of how he’s going to locate pitches — and in particular, his fastball.

“The secondary stuff — that’s been outstanding. The slider-changeup combination has gotten a ton of swing-and-miss. That’s been a process for him.”

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