Alright, so the Diamondbacks just rolled out of Houston with a series win, sitting a sweet half-game ahead of the Padres. Next up was a trip to Kansas City to face the Royals, a team with a weak offense but some seriously solid starting pitching. That setup alone had me wondering how the D’Backs’ struggling offense would fare, but honestly, that wasn’t even the biggest story brewing. The real head-turner? The freaking return of their $210 million dollar ace, Corbin Burnes, after more than 450 days on the IL. Talk about a long time coming.
Noah Cameron Showed Up To Work, The D’Backs Didn’t
That first game against Kansas City? Yeah, it was a wild one. Noah Cameron, who just snagged American League Pitcher of the Month for August, absolutely continued his dominant run. The D’Backs offense basically took a national holiday themselves, getting blanked for nine whole innings. Usually, that’s a guaranteed L, right? But somehow, thanks to the D’Backs bullpen going toe-to-toe with the Royals, we got some extra-innings chaos. Both teams decided being scoreless was for suckers and dropped a combined nine runs in the 10th. Dennis Santana, walking the high wire, snagged his first save as a Snake, stranding the tying run for the Royals. Big props for that. But we also gotta talk about Gerardo Carrillo. The guy’s been struggling since coming back from Triple-A Reno, and you just gotta wonder if it’s mechanical or if teams have figured him out. A 5-0 lead should be a done deal for that bullpen, but Carrillo made it way too close.
Corbin Burnes Is Back, But He’s Still Finding His Groove
Then came Tuesday night, and the moment everyone was waiting for: Corbin Burnes, back on a Major League mound. It was never a secret he’d be super limited after being out for over 450 days. A few long at-bats from Royals hitters meant he only got through three innings, just under his 60-pitch limit. He topped out at 94 MPH and struggled a bit with his command, especially that curveball. Look, coming back from Tommy John is a beast, and you don’t expect 100% effort or perfection right away. Still, seeing him out there, even limited, was huge. The D’Backs need all the starting pitching they can get right now, and just having Burnes back is a psychological boost. And as if one big return wasn’t enough, Wednesday’s series finale saw Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka both come back from the IL too. Talk about a pitching staff getting some serious reinforcements when it matters.
It’s clear the D’Backs are getting some key arms back right when they need them. We’re all hoping Burnes can stretch out those innings in his next outing and get a bit more efficient. What’s next for this D’Backs rotation? Every start from these guys is going to be scrutinized, and you know they’ll be working to find their best stuff. And hey, speaking of good wins, your boys in blue and green here in the Emerald City pulled off a tight one! The Mariners squeezed past the Texas Rangers, 4-3. Small victory, but we’ll take every single one.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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