D-backs get solid outings from Caleb Smith, Christian Walker in spring loss

In spring training terms, Friday afternoon was a pretty good showing from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Despite eventually falling to the Milwaukee Brewers 9-3, the D-backs were up 3-1 going into the bottom of the sixth inning thanks to starting pitcher Caleb Smith and first baseman Christian Walker.

Smith threw 4.1 innings, allowing just one run on five hits. The lefty also struck out six and walked one of the 17 batters he faced.

“Coming out and attacking the zone, which I think he did a really nice job of,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said via Zoom.

“He pitched into that fifth inning, he gave us one run, got right to his pitch count. I thought the fastball command was much better, the secondary stuff off that was much more consistent. … He’s slowly starting to fine-tune somethings and today was a good outing for him.”

Smith said that it felt good to have a solid outing and that he had better command of his pitches. However, with it still being spring training, the lefty says he still has some things to work on ahead of the regular season.

“What I wish I had more of was the [velocity] right now but that’s it,” he said via Zoom. “I feel like that’ll come as the season goes on. Just a couple from where I’d like to be. I’d like to be around like 93-95. It’s still early just building up arm strength and everything.”

The D-backs scored all three of their runs in the first inning of the exhibition at American Family Fields of Phoenix via Walker’s three-run home run that scored Ketel Marte and Tim Locastro.

“It builds confidence because I’m not going up there thinking like, ‘I have to hit the ball in the air, have to get a homer,'” Walker said of his fourth homer of the spring. “I’m just trusting some adjustments I made this offseason and trusting that that’s going to be the results.

“I’m not going out of my way to hit the ball in the air. It seems like it’s just happening right now which is another great feeling. I think that’s why I feel competitive because it’s just a matter of timing and direction and I feel like good things are going to happen.”

But unfortunately for the Diamondbacks, the game unraveled in the bottom of the eighth with Arizona leading 3-2.

That was largely due to Tyler Clippard allowing seven earned runs on four hits. However, the 36-year-old righty came out of the game due to right shoulder discomfort.

“When it happened, I don’t know,” Lovullo said. “I just know he was experiencing some discomfort at the end of his outing. … It was clearly a sign that something wasn’t right because he was lacking the consistency with all his pitches and really couldn’t get a feel for where that release point was.”

UP NEXT

The D-backs host the Kansas City Royals at Salt River Fields on Saturday.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Catch all the action on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

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