Carroll Injures Right Shoulder Again in Blowout Loss to Mets
Entering play tonight, the Diamondbacks had neither been swept in any series, shut out, or lost four games in a row during the 2023 season. All those came to an end tonight, when they were blown out by the New York Mets 9-0 at Chase Field.
However the biggest issue from tonight's game came in the seventh, when Corbin Carroll appeared to suffer a significant injury to his right shoulder swinging at a pitch and was immediately removed. However the D-backs dodged a bullet for the second time in a week with their All-Star outfielder. After the game, manager Torey Lovullo gave an update that Carroll has right shoulder discomfort and will undergo further imaging to reveal the extent of the injury.
"Things checked out a little bit more positive than I was expecting based on what I saw" said Lovullo. "It didn't look good, so for the last 3-4 innings that's all I was thinking about. We got some encouraging news, the stability of the shoulder checked out."
When asked what was positive about the news, Lovullo said that the strength and stability of Carroll's shoulder was fine and they were unable to create any symptoms on physical exams. It was the second time in a week that he was removed from the game with a sore shoulder. They did not do any imaging after the last bout with this issue, but they're going to be more thorough in their testing to get to the bottom of this injury.
The injury could also have an impact on Carroll's ability to participate in the All-Star Game. Last week he was named a starter in the outfield for the National League and was set to play in his hometown of Seattle. That is up in the air without knowing the extent of the injury and how many games he may miss as a result.
Ryne Nelson, who has a 7.09 ERA at Chase Field in eight starts, was hammered for seven runs on nine hits in three innings. He never was able to settle in, as the Mets punished every mistake he made over the heart of the plate.
"There were a lot of middle-middle mistakes, looks like the Mets are starting to swing the bat pretty good" said Lovullo. "This game is so momentum based, good baseball teams win baseball games, but when you win a type of game you win yesterday when you're down to your last pitch you get a huge surge in momentum and confidence. And they came out and picked up right where they left off yesterday and took advantage of some mistakes from Nelly."
The poor start by Nelson took Arizona out of the game, but they also did not swing the bats well. Carlos Carrasco, who had a 5.94 ERA in 11 starts entering play, carved up the D-backs for eight scoreless innings and allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out four. There were mistakes on the bases, with Geraldo Perdomo getting picked off first base with Christian Walker at the plate in a 2-0 game, and a miscommunication on a pop-up that fell in the third that allowed the Mets to score three more runs. Carroll was having issues with his contacts and couldn't get to the ball while Emmanuel Rivera couldn't flag the ball down after having to range deep down the left field line.
Drey Jameson was checked out by trainers in the sixth inning, after experiencing cramping in his right wrist. He stayed in the game and completed the inning.
The D-backs will have to quickly flush this game from their game, as they face the Pittsburgh Pirates for a three-game series before the All-Star break. With a four game losing streak Arizona has tasked their All-Star ace, Zac Gallen, to play the role of stopper once again. He'll square off against aging left-hander Rich Hill tomorrow at Chase Field, with first pitch at 9:40 PM ET/6:40 PM MST.
