"Would not be surprised if they made a lot of noise" - D-backs manager Torey Lovullo raves about Tigers' grit after hard-fought win

On Sunday, the Arizona Diamondbacks saved themselves from getting swept by the Detroit Tigers at Chase Field. The D-backs won the game 6-4 but lost the home series 1-2 to the Tigers. They now have a 22-25 record this season, holding fourth place in the NL West.

Despite the team’s setback, the D-backs manager, Torey Lovullo, praised the opposition on their victory. Jon Morosi of MLB.com shared Lovullo’s statement on social media, where he commended the Tigers and predicted they could impact the American League moving forward.

“The Tigers are a good team. I would not be surprised if they made a lot of noise inside of the AL Central. They’re finding their way. They were very, very gritty,” Lovullo said, per Morosi.

The reigning World Series runner-ups are struggling this season. Despite having a decent offense, the D-backs are lacking in pitching. They have a combined 4.48 ERA (22nd), 1.3 WHIP (20th) and 209 ER (24th) in the league.

Christian Walker and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. are leading the D-backs’ offense. Meanwhile, Jack Gallen (3.02 ERA in 50.2 innings) and Brandon Pfaadt (4.17 ERA in 54.0 innings) manage the team’s rotation.

Yesterday was the sixth start of Jordan Montgomery this season. However, the result wasn’t impressive. Montgomery pitched for six innings and earned four runs, making his ERA 4.98 in 34.1 innings. In his last five games, he gave up 18 runs, all earned, in 28.1 innings.

D-backs skipper exchanged heated words with Tigers’ ace

On Saturday, the Arizona Diamondbacks had a 2-0 lead over the Detroit Tigers for more than half of the game. However, in the seventh inning, Gallen blew the lead by giving up three runs that the D-backs never recovered, costing them the home series.

Meanwhile, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo had a heated word altercation with Tigers starter Jack Flaherty from across their respective dugouts. The Tigers then extended the lead to 8-3 and won the game.

In the post-game conference, Lovullo refused to comment on the incident but hinted that there was more behind the curtain than what was on screen.

"Trust me, what happened there, what you guys saw … wasn’t the first thing that happened. I can hold serve on one thing, but we felt like there was more than just that situation that popped up and I’d had enough,” Lovullo said.

However, Lovullo softened his tone and praised the Tigers for their series win. Arizona is getting ready to visit Los Angeles to face its division rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, for a three-game series starting Monday.