Young players provide optimism as D-backs settle for series win

DENVER -- Sunday’s series finale against the Rockies didn’t go as the D-backs hoped. Looking for a sweep of the three-game set, Arizona instead fell, 12-4, at Coors Field.

Here are three things to know about what went on with the D-backs in Denver on Sunday:

1. While he will take winning the series, manager Torey Lovullo wanted more
Taking two of three in a road series is always a good outcome, but it’s a little less sweet when you have a chance for the sweep like the D-backs had Sunday following victories of 9-1 and 11-4 in the first two games.

Things got away from Arizona in the third when Colorado put together a four-run rally that included a three-run homer by C.J. Cron.

Starter Ryne Nelson felt like he had decent stuff and good command, but he just wasn't able to put hitters away. In the end, it hurt him.

Nelson left after allowing six runs and striking out two across four innings, and the Rockies were able to score another six runs off the bullpen.

“These guys play hard,” Lovullo said. “And I'm proud of what they did. They came in here and won a series. Like I said, there's no throwaway games. To get to where we have to get to we have to find a way to play better on a Sunday day game. We'll figure that out. But we won two out of three in a pretty uneven environment. It’s always scary coming in here. So we want them to enjoy the off-day tomorrow, and we’re onward to Texas.”

2. Corbin Carroll will have some further tests done
Carroll crashed hard into the left-field wall attempting to make a catch Saturday night, and though an initial postgame exam showed nothing but a left knee contusion, the D-backs were anxious to see how he looked 12 hours later.

Carroll arrived to Coors Field on the first bus from the hotel, and outside of obvious soreness and bruising, he still appeared to not be seriously injured.

“I'm hoping a couple days,” Carroll said of when he could be back in the lineup. “Kind of see what happens, but I’m walking better than I was walking yesterday, so it’s a step in the right direction.”

After he hit the wall and fell to the ground, Carroll laid there motionless for a bit while he took inventory of how he was feeling.

“It hurt, but I didn't feel anything pop,” Carroll said. “It just felt like I hit a wall really hard. So it wasn't a joke, but I wasn’t incredibly concerned.”

Even though he was feeling better Sunday, the D-backs will have Carroll undergo an MRI during Monday’s off-day just to make sure nothing is more seriously wrong.

“As a precautionary measure, we’re going to get some imaging, so that will be [Monday],” Lovullo said. “I don't want to be misleading -- he’s still trending in a very, very positive direction. But just to rule everything out, we just thought with the off-day, let’s take advantage of it.”

3. A big day for Dominic Fletcher
Fletcher, the younger brother of Angels infielder David, was called up from Triple-A Reno prior to the game to give the D-backs some outfield depth with Carroll unavailable.

Arizona's No. 15 prospect per MLB Pipeline got the news of his callup Saturday night on his way home after picking up some takeout for dinner. He got about an hour of sleep before having to catch an early-morning flight to Denver.

Lovullo likes to get players into a game right away after they get called up, and he inserted Fletcher in right field in the bottom of the seventh.

In the eighth, Fletcher came to the plate for his first Major League at-bat and doubled to the gap in left-center. He would just miss collecting another hit in the ninth when shortstop Ezequiel Tovar made an outstanding play on his grounder up the middle.

“I was excited to get out there today,” Fletcher said. “I didn't know if I was going to get in there or not, so it was pretty cool to get out there and get [the first hit] today."