Diamondbacks Struggle with Baserunning in Loss to Dodgers

Manager Torey Lovullo calls out team's mistakes on the bases after close defeat

Mar. 29, 2026 at 12:56am

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The Arizona Diamondbacks lost a close game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-2, on Friday night. Manager Torey Lovullo was frustrated with his team's baserunning mistakes, which included four outs on the bases in the first two games of the series. Lovullo said he can accept aggressive baserunning attempts, but not plays that run the team out of innings.

Why it matters

Baserunning is a critical part of the game, and the Diamondbacks' struggles in this area could be the difference between winning and losing close games against tough opponents like the Dodgers. Lovullo will need to address this issue to help his team improve their execution on the bases.

The details

In Friday's game, the Diamondbacks made several outs on the bases, including a play where Alek Thomas was thrown out at third. Lovullo said he can tolerate aggressive plays where the runner is narrowly thrown out, but not mistakes that end innings. Over the first two games of the series, the Diamondbacks have made four outs on the bases, which Lovullo believes could have been the difference in the one-run loss on Friday.

  • The Diamondbacks wrapped up their three-game series against the Dodgers on Saturday, March 28.
  • In Friday's game on March 27, the Diamondbacks made several baserunning mistakes that frustrated manager Torey Lovullo.

The players

Torey Lovullo

The manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who expressed frustration with his team's baserunning mistakes in the first two games against the Dodgers.

Alek Thomas

A Diamondbacks player who was thrown out at third base in Friday's game, one of the baserunning errors that upset Lovullo.

Eduardo Rodriguez

The Diamondbacks' starting pitcher for Saturday's game against the Dodgers, coming off a strong performance in the World Baseball Classic.

Tyler Glasnow

The Dodgers' starting pitcher for Saturday's game, who had solid results against the Diamondbacks last season.

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What they’re saying

“I always say that, no matter what, if you're trying to take an extra base or steal a base and it's a bang-bang play almost where you have to stop play to review — those are OK. I can live with those. (But) I can't live with those if it's going to run us out of an inning.”

— Torey Lovullo, Manager, Arizona Diamondbacks

“When we are basically giving away some of the outs that we have, the way we have, that's when it gets a little bit frustrating.”

— Torey Lovullo, Manager, Arizona Diamondbacks

What’s next

The Diamondbacks will look to bounce back in their next series against the Detroit Tigers, starting on March 30 at Chase Field.

The takeaway

The Diamondbacks' struggles with baserunning in the early part of the season could be a critical issue that Lovullo needs to address if the team wants to compete against tough opponents like the Dodgers. Improving execution on the bases will be key to the Diamondbacks' success going forward.