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Arizona Diamondbacks: Lovullo Extended, Weaver Solid Against Giants, Predicting Final Games

Forgettable 2021 Season Winding Down

The Arizona Diamondbacks have five games left in what has been perhaps the most disappointing season in franchise history.

Arizona sits at 50-107, with two more road games in their series against the San Francisco Giants. The Diamondbacks will then finish up the season with a three-game weekend home slate against another NL West foe, the Colorado Rockies.

The Diamondbacks are listed as underdogs for each of their final two games against the Giants. Baseball fans can see the betting odds for all MLB games at Arizona DraftKings.

The 2004 Diamondbacks squad holds the franchise record for most losses in a season (111). Arizona will have to win at least two more games just to avoid matching that feat. If they lose out, the 2021 club will set the unwanted franchise record.

Arizona has already clinched the worst record in the National League by a wide margin. It’s a tight race between the D-backs and the Baltimore Orioles (51-106) for the worst record in baseball this year.

Torey Lovullo’s squad at least has a chance to play spoiler against the Giants, who hold a two-game lead on the Los Angeles Dodgers for both first in the NL West and home field advantage throughout the postseason.

Torey Lovullo Here To Stay

When a team has a season as dismal as the 2021 Diamondbacks, it’s easy and common to seek new leadership in the dugout.

But the front office will not put the blame on Lovullo. Last week, Arizona GM Mike Hazen announced that Lovullo was given a one-year extension with a club option for the 2023 campaign, per Zach Buchanan of The Athletic.

“I’m humbled and honored,” Lovullo said last week, per ESPN. “I’m not an idiot. I know what can happen in these circumstances. I couldn’t be more grateful for the trust they have in me. I’m lying if I said I never thought out it. Of course I did. These are turbulent waters. I’m not the same manager I was four, five years ago.”

2021 will mark Arizona’s second straight losing and fourth consecutive non-playoff season. But Lovullo led Arizona to winning seasons in each of his first three years, highlighted by a victory over the Rockies in the 2017 NL Wild Card Game.

That year, Lovullo earned NL Manager of the Year honors.

With Lovullo under contract for the 2022 season, he is set to become the longest-tenured manager in Diamondbacks history. Kirk Gibson (who managed from 2010 to 2014) and Bob Melvin (2005 to 2009) are the only others to have managed five seasons with the franchise.

Weaver Strong In Short Outing Against Giants

Making his fifth start in the month of September, Luke Weaver pieced together a solid outing against the first-place Giants on Monday night.

The 28-year-old tossed four innings in Monday’s 6-4 loss to the NL West rivals. Though he struggled with command (four walks, three hits), Weaver managed to strike out six batters while allowing just one earned run.

Following his outing against the Washington Nationals on May 16, Weaver missed three and a half months of action with right shoulder strain.

Weaver is 3-6 this season with a 4.25 ERA and 62 strikeouts against 20 walks.

Predicting The Final Five Games

Even though anything can happen in baseball, it’s truly hard to imagine the D-Backs pulling off any upsets against the surging Giants.

San Francisco carries every advantage, and they’re ultra-motivated to avoid the one-game playoff against the St. Louis Cardinals. This should be a fairly easy sweep for manager Gabe Kapler and company.

The Rockies are obviously a more favorable matchup, and Arizona’s struggling pitchers have the fortune of not having to pitch at hitter-friendly Coors Field.

As bad as the Diamondbacks have been in 2021, they’re simply due for at least one victory. Entering play on Wednesday, Colorado had lost seven of its last eight games. This came after they went on an impressive 7-1 run, which featured series wins against two winning teams in Atlanta and Philadelphia.

The Rockies will take the series by winning the Friday and Saturday games. Arizona, will snag a W on Saturday, however, to avoid setting the new franchise record for most losses.

 
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