Game Recaps
Merrill Kelly grinds out bounce-back effort as Diamondbacks fall short vs. Cardinals by Payne Moses [Arizona Sports]
Kelly has logged more than one uncharacteristic start this season after re-signing with Arizona, but he didn’t let the latest last week against the Los Angeles Angels (six earned runs on 11 hits) carry over into Monday.
It didn’t look like a bounce-back start was loading in the first, with the first three St. Louis batters reaching on two singles and a walk. But a lineout to Geraldo Perdomo by star right fielder Jordan Walker and 4-6-3 double play hit into by Lars Nootbaar was a huge zero to put on the board.
Diamondbacks Fall Down to the .500 Line After New Loss to Cardinals by Alex D’Agostino [SI]
The Arizona Diamondbacks continue to look like a rudderless team. Once again, they have fallen back to the .500 line after taking another tough loss in their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals are, admittedly, a tough opponent. But in what has seemed to be an extremely common theme in recent days, the D-backs struggled to take advantage of the numerous opportunities they had on Monday night, losing by a thin margin of 3-2 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Diamondbacks News
Bowden: Zac Gallen an under-the-radar trade target by Tyler Drake [Arizona Sports]
It’s been a rocky 2026 for Arizona Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen after re-signing with the franchise on a one-year contract this offseason.
His most recent outing on Saturday that ended with a shower of boos at home was a prime example of that.
The reunion hasn’t been what many expected. And with the MLB trade deadline in the not-so-distant future (Aug. 3), The Athletic’s Jim Bowden has Gallen as an under-the-radar trade target to watch.
Arenado reflects on time with Cards in return to St. Louis with Arizona by Jeff Jones [MLB]
Nolan Arenado has been through the spin cycle of returning to a former home ballpark before, so he has the benefit of experiential wisdom when it comes to handling the emotions of four games at Busch Stadium this week.
“Being 35 now [helps],” Arenado joked Monday from the Diamondbacks’ dugout. “I’m a little older now, so I’ll be OK. In ‘21, it was kind of a weird moment, obviously being there [in Colorado] for eight years. I’m gonna take it in. I know I’m coming toward the end. Back then in Colorado, I didn’t really take it in as much. Here I probably will just because it means a little different here. I’m really excited for the game to start.”
Diamondbacks Give Update on Lawlar,Soroka Injury Timelines by Alex D’Agostino [SI]
“It’s gonna be weeks and not days, hopeful for the fastest return possible,” Lovullo said (via Arizona Sports 98.7’s Alex Weiner). “We’re hoping it’s gonna happen before the four to six week period of time, everybody seems to be throwing out, but I’ll keep you guys updated on their progression.
“Just unfortunate news. MRIs confirmed that there was something that was going on in there and they’re gonna have to step away and rest up.”
Around the League
Here’s the latest All-Star Ballot update by Brian Murphy, Shanthi Sepe-Chupuru [MLB]
Phase 1 of the voting concludes Thursday at noon ET. If Ohtani and Clement remain on top in their respective league, they will automatically receive spots in their side’s starting lineup for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on July 14.
During Phase 1, you can vote as many as five times per every 24-hour period exclusively at MLB.com, on all 30 MLB club sites and on the MLB app.
Beyond the two leading overall vote-getters, the top two vote-getters at every position, and the top six outfielders, will advance to Phase 2 of the voting, which begins on June 29. If an outfielder is a league’s leading vote-getter, only the next four outfield finalists will move on to Phase 2 to determine who starts at the two remaining spots.
Biggest strength for top current 2026 MLB playoff contenders by David Schoenfield [ESPN]
Week 12 ranking: 12
Record: 39-38 (3rd in NL West)
Biggest strength: Umm … the offense has underperformedOK, that’s not really a strength, unless you consider that the Diamondbacks are still over .500 even though the offense has underperformed compared with last season. Indeed, it’s a little difficult to figure out how they’re over .500 in the first place considering they’re scoring about a half-run less per game than last year and the rotation is 29th in strikeout rate and has just two pitchers with an ERA under 4.97. And while the bullpen has been good, it’s not like Arizona has cleaned up in one-run games (13-12) or extra-inning games (2-4).
Will it continue? Sorry about the confusion here. This is more complicated than the 2016 Diamondbacks’ uniform scheme. We’re asking: Will the underperforming continue? Which isn’t a strength, since the Diamondbacks need the strength to be “better offense.” Anyway, FanGraphs projects Arizona averaging 4.59 runs per game the rest of the way, which is better than its current 4.28. But it’s probably not enough to get into the playoffs, unless the Diamondbacks start getting better work from the back end of the rotation.
How Much Would MLB’s Draft Proposal Cost the Best Players? by Dan Szymborski [FanGraphs]
A year or two is actually quite significant when dealing with an elite free agent or free agent-to-be. When you’re talking to guys that land megadeals, getting a player like Juan Soto or Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a couple years early basically allows you to swap a year in their 40s for a year in their prime. This isn’t just mean math guys and their even meaner projection systems; teams are aware of this, which is why someone like Pete Alonso largely gets shrugs in free agency, certainly relative to how early-30s non-elite sluggers were treated 15 years ago. And yes, I’m fully aware of the irony of my noting how much teams have soured on non-elite free agents in their 30s, since, as I’ve been told both by multiple front office decision makers and multiple agents, I’m one of the people responsible for the spread of that attitude!
ZiPS originally projected Soto to get a 15-year, $719 million contract in free agency after the 2024 season, compared to the $765 million he actually netted. Keeping everything the same and making him two years older drops that projected salary from $719 million to $588 million, a pay cut of $131 million.
Sonny Gray “Open” To Discussing No-Trade Clause If Red Sox Sell by Steve Adams [MLB Trade Rumors]
With the Red Sox’ season continuing to spiral — they’re buried in the AL East cellar and have the American League’s second-worst record — speculation about a potential deadline sale continues to mount. The team hasn’t made any major directional decisions at this juncture, but if they opt to go the seller’s route, veteran right-hander Sonny Gray will be open-minded about waiving his full no-trade protection, he tells Tim Healey of the Boston Globe.
“If someone came to me from the Red Sox and made a decision that that’s the direction that this team was going to go, I would be open for a conversation,” Gray said. The 36-year-old righty declined to indicate whether geography would play any sort of role in his decision process.
