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overview
evaluation: 8.7
![](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dKDlPVLn4DDNZ7Z87vZRc0UEnzc=/0x0:832x514/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:832x514):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25206152/Mg___Torey_Lovullo.png)
this is, Mediocre rating 6.15 That’s what Tori Lovullo accomplished at the end of last season.
2023 results:
84-78
2nd place in National League West Division
Lost in Game 5 of the World Series
Season review:
Torey Lovullo entered the 2023 season as a lame duck coach with only moderate support from the fan base. After finishing the 2022 season with just 74 wins and not having a competitive team for much of the season, many questioned the logic of retaining Lovullo, whose primary coaching trait is player development. Ta. Still, the 22-win improvement over their worst year in 2021 was nothing to scoff at. In addition, one can also say about the stability of the organization. It also helped save Lovullo’s case that Mike Hazen came forward and took responsibility for Lovullo’s failure to assemble a large enough roster to utilize. The overall result was that Lovullo entered the season with a short lead, with many fans expecting him to be fired by the All-Star break.
Tori Lovullo had other plans.
By the end of June, the Diamondbacks had 15 games over .500 and were in first place in the National League West. On July 1, they reached a season high of 16 games over .500, but were still three games behind the Dodgers. It was during his last two weeks in June that fans’ attitudes began to change dramatically. The team’s main story of developing into a .500 batting average team by hitting outside shots in a low-level playoff spot is no longer there. Instead, the focus shifted to hoping to make the playoffs. There was even a glimmer of hope that Arizona could compete with the Dodgers for the division title.
Then July, bipolar month, happened. When the Diamondbacks were good, which wasn’t very often, they managed to pull out a win. This includes the July 18 game in which the team scored a season-high 16 points (and won by only three runs, all of which came in the decisive ninth inning. When things were bad (which was basically the entire month), the results were very poor, with the team losing by four points or more six times in just 24 games. Things didn’t improve when the calendar switched to his August, and the team suffered nine straight losses from the start. Among them, the team lost by more than 10 points four times and also recorded the longest losing streak of the season, but that losing streak ended on August 11th, when the Diamondbacks lost by more than 16 games. From the difference, I noticed that I had dropped to below .500, two games behind (which is the worst). Available for all seasons).
At this point, the Dodgers finally righted the ship and hit the ground running. The National League West was a pipe dream. Making the playoffs was becoming something of wishful thinking. Even though the team (as a whole) was still in a good position all things considered, the pitchforks started coming out again, with many blaming Lovullo’s bullpen management against the divers. Indeed, there are some notes pointing to bullpen usage as a major cause of the team’s midseason woes. During the season, the team led by 38 points and received four byes.
However, the arrival of Paul Swald at the trade deadline and the acquisition of Ryan Thompson just before the registration deadline fundamentally changed the bullpen that Tory Lovullo had to work with. Coming off a nine-game losing streak, the Diamondbacks returned to finding ways to win individual series. In fact, they were able to match their season-best winning streak at six games, and they might have been even better if it weren’t for poor performance from the bullpen, including Nabil Krismat.
Entering the final month of the season, the Diamondbacks found themselves back in the thick of playoff contention and in control of their own destiny. However, as the season drew to a close, the team once again struggled to win the games it needed to gain an advantage over its opponents. After dominating the Cubs at home in Phoenix in mid-month, the Diamondbacks needed to go 6-5 all the way to remain masters of their own destiny. Instead, the team finished the season with 5 wins and 6 losses, including five losses to the Yankees and three more losses to the Houston Astros. So the Diamondbacks fell back into the playoffs, securing the final wild card spot while watching another loss from the dugout.
Things got interesting from then on.
After a strong start and mediocre second half, expectations for Arizona entering the playoffs were modest at best. His goal, fans say, was to be competitive. That was the case with the Diamondbacks, and so has been the case ever since. They defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in the wild card round. They then dominated the National Dodgers, giving up six points to Clayton Kershaw early in the series. They then defeated the Phillies in seven games to win the NLCS and win the NL pennant for the second time in franchise history. Among the many anecdotes that fueled the team’s postseason success was Lovullo’s tendency to press the right buttons at the right time, not only in his pinch hitters and lineup selection, but also in his use of the bullpen. The NLCS, like everything else, had a lot to do with coach Tory Lovullo outperforming Rob Thompson.
In the World Series, Lovullo stuck to that plan until Paul Zewald finally faltered, forcing a save in the ninth inning of Game 1 of the series. Although the team bounced back, the series exposed Arizona’s lack of depth and Lovullo’s magical touch finally seemed to run out of pixie dust.
However, even if we lose, this is a team we can be proud of. They were never supposed to make the playoffs, much less the World Series. Of his 84 wins, 43 were return wins. This shows that Lovullo was able to keep his team focused and overcome the early difficulties of the game. It shows that he always maintained his attitude and helped develop a resilient team. It’s true that Lovullo had some bumps during the season, but the team won about 10 games it probably shouldn’t have won despite having a bad bullpen for more than half the season. What happened is also true. When Lovullo pushed the right buttons, the team was able to maintain a positive headspace and take advantage of late chances.
Lovullo managed this even though Carson Kelly was injured and he didn’t have a viable backup catcher in Gabriel Moreno. This caused Moreno to start breaking down in the midst of playoff contention. Lovullo accomplished this despite Madison Bumgarner and Zach Davis accounting for 40% of his early-season starts and having only one or two MLB-caliber arms in the bullpen at one point in the season. Lovullo, along with Brent Strome and Dave McKay, were also successful in developing a young core that would form the foundation of future Diamondbacks teams. Corbin Carroll won Rookie of the Year. Gabriel Moreno has gone from being a hot catching prospect to one of the best catchers in the entire game. Brandon Puffert developed from a great story and potential swingman to a starter for Game 3 of the World Series. Zac Gallen was a Cy Young candidate until the last 10 days or so of the season. While these honors come down to the performance of the players involved, it was Lovullo and his staff who put these players in a position to achieve such success.
Outlook
Lovullo’s future looked much brighter when the Diamondbacks reached 82 wins and were certain to finish the season above .500. The second-half struggles and return to the playoffs still left questions as to whether Lovullo had the talent to manage a playoff-level team. Those questions were mostly answered during the Diamondbacks’ whirlwind run to the World Series. Once the matter is resolved, Lovullo is left with a shiny contract extension that will keep him in Arizona through the end of the 2026 season. With the front office opting to invest heavily in the team’s roster this winter, hopes are high that Lovullo will continue to have great success and earn another contract extension before entering the lame duck season. There is.
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