'Instant energy': Gurriel emerges as positive amid D-backs' struggles

TORONTO -- There was no red carpet in Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s return to Toronto, but the eccentric outfielder still found himself in the spotlight on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre.

The highlight reel began in the first inning of the D-backs’ 7-5 loss, when Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi airmailed a pickoff throw to second base, where Gurriel attentively stood. He isn’t a burner by any means, but Gurriel turned on the jets and never looked back, racing from second and diving head-first into home, just under the tag, to give his team an early lead.

Manager Torey Lovullo called the play as it was: Lourdes being Lourdes.

“He's instant energy for us,” Lovullo said. “You leave a conversation in the clubhouse that Lourdes is in, you feel hyped up. Throw a baseball play into the equation, and it gets everybody going. So he's just that type of guy.”

Hype man. Class clown. Whatever the label, Gurriel marched to his own beat during his five seasons in Toronto, too, whether it was making sandcastles or whipping up an impromptu fruit cocktail in the dugout. His personality won over Blue Jays fans, who adored his in-game antics as much as his quick bat.

As an all-time fan favorite, the 29-year-old got a warm welcome for his return to where his Major League career began. But first, Gurriel, with his spikey “Piña Power” hair now dyed purple, said hello to former Blue Jays teammates.

It wasn’t a tearful reunion of long-lost friends, as Gurriel said he regularly keeps in touch with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and former Blue Jay Teoscar Hernández via WhatsApp group chats. There were still plenty of laughs outside Arizona’s dugout, though.

“I like to have fun,” Gurriel said through an interpreter. “That was my M.O. with the Blue Jays and same over here now.”

Moments of fun were few and far between for the visitors during their three-game set, though, as Sunday’s loss handed Arizona a sweep out of the All-Star break. Still, Gurriel’s all-around great game went down as a positive. In addition to picking up two singles and scoring that hustle run, the D-backs’ left fielder truly shined on defense.

It started with a wild diving grab in the bottom of the first to rob Matt Chapman of an extra-base hit.

Heads-up baserunning and a web gem in the same inning? Again, Lovullo was impressed.

“That's gotta be a top-10 play for me, for sure,” Lovullo said. “He did a great job. He sat down, he read the ball and just made a great play.”

Gurriel followed that up with a perfect toss in the fourth to cut down Santiago Espinal’s attempt at extra bases. When a similar play unfolded in the sixth inning, Danny Jansen didn’t even bother testing Gurriel’s cannon, wisely settling for a long single.

But those mini spurts of success were about the only thing that went right for the D-backs until the ninth inning, when they made a seemingly out-of-reach game a bit more interesting, but ended up falling short.

Arizona hitters worked three walks off Blue Jays reliever Mitch White before Ketel Marte unloaded a bases-clearing double against Erik Swanson to make it 7-5. The rally fell short as Emmanuel Rivera popped up for the final out of the game.

Marte’s extra-base knock, while far too late, showed how rewarding things can be when the D-backs play their brand of ball. The club is frustrated right now, and when emotions run high, hitters try to do too much.

“When you have a couple of games where you struggle … everybody in the offense senses that and wants to be the guy to break the team out of that,” third baseman Evan Longoria said.

Execution from at-bat to at-bat is more important, Longoria said. As a veteran in a clubhouse with several young contributors, he’s taken it upon himself to hammer home some positive messaging.

“As the group goes, you go, and I think that our best mentality is kind of that,” Longoria said. “And so just trying to reinforce that every day. Not one person has to carry this team. We've proven that.”

Lovullo added that this club is best when it plays relaxed, takes its walks and lets the next man up do the job. Between Marte, Gurriel and Corbin Carroll in the heart of the order, there’s more than enough firepower to cash guys in.

“We've just got to complete the cycle,” Lovullo said, referencing the lack of key hits in this series.

Next up is a flight to Atlanta and a three-game series against the NL-leading Braves. A matchup like that might crush a team wallowing in self pity. The D-backs aren’t there yet, though.

“I don't think it's necessary to sulk or be down or worried,” said starter Tommy Henry. “It's just one series. Three games. ... There are opportunities ahead and no reason not to focus on that.”