AZ Dbacks News and Recap

Tawa went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday’s 4-3 win over the Dodgers.

Tawa has played well in August, going 9-for-27 (.333) over seven games this month. He’s added five RBI and a 1:7 BB:K while seeing the bulk of the playing time at first base, though Tyler Locklear and Ildemaro Vargas are also in the mix for time at the position. Tawa is batting .234 with a .686 OPS, six home runs, three steals, 26 RBI, 21 runs scored and eight doubles across 179 plate appearances this season, so his recent hot streak isn’t likely to last the rest of the year.

Arenado went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday’s 4-3 win over the Dodgers.

Arenado is up to 17 homers on the year, including three over six games in August. He’s added a 3:5 BB:K so far this month. The third baseman is hitting .241 with a .752 OPS, 54 RBI, 54 runs scored, 20 doubles and three stolen bases across 110 contests this season and should continue to see steady playing time.

Waldschmidt went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday’s 4-3 win over the Dodgers.

Waldschmidt was clutch Friday, taking Edwin Diaz deep for a walk-off blast in the ninth inning. Over six games in August, Waldschmidt has gone 7-for-20 (.350) as he makes a case to stay involved in the lineup even when Jordan Lawlar (hamstring) returns from the injured list. Waldschmidt is batting .292 with a .748 OPS, two homers, 15 RBI, 22 runs scored, 13 doubles, one triple and six stolen bases over 51 contests this season. While the raw numbers are strong, the outfielder is benefiting from a .427 BABIP that has largely cancelled out the risk presented by his 32.0 percent strikeout rate.

Kelly was removed from Friday’s game against the Dodgers due to a right leg cramp.

Kelly made it through 5.2 innings Friday while allowing just one run before calling for a trainer to come out to the mound. The Diamondbacks may keep an eye on Kelly’s leg over the next few days to be careful, but his cramp likely won’t keep him from making his next scheduled start.