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Diamondbacks week in review: two weeks til’ the games start counting

By Christopher Gaine
Mar 14, 2016; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zack Greinke (21) in the first inning during a spring training game against the Seattle Mariners at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 14, 2016; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zack Greinke (21) in the first inning during a spring training game against the Seattle Mariners at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports /
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Last week was a good one for the Diamondbacks; they kept winning and had several strong performances from key players. Just two weeks remain until the start of the season, and the winners of positional competitions are really starting to materialize.

  • The Diamondbacks made their second round of roster cuts on Monday. There weren’t many surprises; Braden Shipley being sent down was probably the biggest headline.
  • Chip Hale said that he wants to bat Zack Greinke eighth when he starts. This might not be a bad decision; Greinke is a lifetime .220/.261/.337 hitter with six home runs and 14 RBI in 341 plate appearances.
  • The Cardinals signed former Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada to a contract on Friday. This will likely put any Nick Ahmed trade talk on hold.
  • Zack Greinke pitched 5.2 shutout innings on Saturday against the Rangers, lowering his spring ERA to 1.88.
  • Archie Bradley was roughed up again on Thursday, allowing six runs in 2.1 innings. It is looking more and more like Robbie Ray, who has allowed just two runs in 9.2 spring innings, will be the No. 5 starter.
  • Another week, another week of Jean Segura being on fire. He is 20-for-35 so far this spring with a whopping .571 batting average.
  • Phil Gosselin is making a push to be on the starting roster. The second baseman is batting .387 this spring training.
  • Nick Ahmed kept hitting well, improving his average to 405. As did Chris Owings, who is hitting .324.
  • The Diamondbacks went 6-1 this week, improving their overall spring record to an MLB-best 16-4.
  • Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick said this week that “If 100,000 people decide they will not go to a Diamondbacks game, we’ve stood up for the right thing.” Kendrick is a high-profile Republican fundraiser who is actively donating to anti-Trump ad campaigns.

That was all the Diamondbacks news last week. Only two more of these to go until the games actually start to matter.

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