PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - PHNX D-backs After Dark: 700 F’N Wins

Episode Date: June 15, 2026

The Arizona Diamondbacks finally got back on track in Cincinnati, taking two out of three vs the Reds. But more importantly, Torey Lovullo got career win number 700 in the series finale. Derek and Rok discuss their very biased feelings on Lovullo, his time as manager, and why he’s the right man for the job when it comes to this franchise. Limited-time offer! Become a Diehard for just $36: https://gophnx.com/intro-offer-youtube JOIN THE SUPPORTERS CLUB ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/yc6km2r4 An ALLCITY Network Production SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube: https://bit.ly/phnx_youtube ALL THINGS PHNX: http://linktr.ee/phnxsports MERCH https://store.allcitynetwork.com/collections/phnx-locker ALLCITY Network, Inc. aka PHNX and PHNX Sports is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by the City of Phoenix PHNX Events: Get your tickets to PHNX events and takeovers here: https://gophnx.com/events/ ALLCITY — including us here at PHNX — is teaming up with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America for an exciting three-year partnership. To learn more, visit https://www.bbbs.org/allcity/ Branded Bills: Use code BBPHNX at https://www.brandedbills.com/ for 15% off your first order! Husband & Wife Law Team: If you’ve had a serious injury, Call The Husband & Wife Law Team first at 602-783-8841 or visit https://husbandandwifelawteam.com/?utm_source=allcity-padcasts&utm_medium=digital-phx&utm_campaign=allcityShowNotes bet365: https://www.bet365.com/hub/en-us/app-hero-banner-1?utm_source=affiliate&utm_campaign=usapp&utm_medium=affiliate&affiliate=365_03485317 Use the code PHNX365 to sign up, deposit $10 and bet $5 to get $150 in bonus bets! Disclaimer: Must be 21+ and physically located in AZ.  If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-NEXT-STEP, text NEXTSTEP to 53342 or visit https://problemgambling.az.gov/ Gametime: Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code PHNX for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Shady Rays: Head to https://shadyrays.com and use code: PHNX for 40% 2+ pairs of off polarized sunglasses. Try for yourself the shades rated 5 stars by over 300,000 people. Circle K: Join Inner Circle for free by downloading the Circle K app today! Head to https://www.circlek.com/store-locator to find Circle Ks near you! When you shop through links in the description, we may earn affiliate commissions. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You are now listening to PHNXD backs after Dart. Well, they did the damn thing and actually won a series here against the Cincinnati Reds to kind of stop this bleeding. But what were your thoughts here on the Diamondbacks still struggling offensively against, honestly, one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball right now? Seems to be a recurring trend with our beloved Diamondbacks. Their offense has been abysmal. And it's not like they're going against like Cy Young candidates every night. They're getting disoutmatched by anybody. Don't get me wrong.

Your name is Gabrielle Moreno and Corvin Carroll. Well, hey, today they hit some dingers, man. They did. They did. It felt like the offense got going. Kattel added what felt like a really, really, really important. run late, but I don't believe in this.

I don't believe that their offense is back on track after this. I refuse to believe that at any point this season because it feels like the minute that I'm ready to declare their offenses back, it's dead as a doorknail the next day, right? Yeah. The only thing that seems to be on track

for the Diamondbacks right now is Jordan Lawler's straight head on track to the wall every time you play center field. That man is just eating the wall. He's playing with reckless abandonment and I love him for it. I just can't have him get injured again.

I can't have anybody. That was my thing. That was my thing Friday night when he started. And then he crashes into the wall, gets up and then he gets hit by a pitch. And I'm like, brother. Can we not hurt our guy right when he comes back? Can we not?

I'm like, I think we kind of need you right now, bro. Like, can you not? I mean, he made a huge impact in this series. He did. He was the reason they won the first game. And again, I kind of joked because I said that nobody was coming to save this offense. Jordan Lawler was not going to be the savior of this offense. But on Friday, he kind of was the savior of this fucking offense.

He actually, he was. And over the weekend, I mean, it just went to go. It went to show how quickly their offense disappears, losing on Saturday, two to one, and just absolutely wasting a fucking gem from Michael Soroka, right? Yeah, I mean, that's the unfortunate part is Saturday night. It was when they, or Saturday, I should say. Yeah. Because they absolutely should have walked out of there with a W,

which would have let them walk out of there with a, you know, a little bit better of a record. Hey, man, a sweep makes you feel good about yourself. You know, those aren't easy to come by. And this Red's team isn't playing good baseball right now. neither are some of the teams that the Diamondbacks have ahead of them, but you got to take care of business against those teams. Honestly, I've tried to give credit where credit was due to the Nationals and the Marlins.

Like the Diamondbacks caught those teams playing really good baseball. In fact, the Max Meyer for the Marlins is setting records for longest winning streak in baseball. You have the Nationals that have become one of the top offenses in the Major League. like it's it's not like these teams even though we want to think poorly of teams like Miami and Mar and Washington these teams are not bad teams they're playing some good baseball right now no and I mean in the other part that kind of makes it even worse is we we were going against a Reds team minus their big dog correct Ellie Dela Cruz is not playing right now so you know not to I mean Marte out in the right field that boy had a

series he did he woke up he had three home the wrong in the wrong mark Rete wearing number four was hitting all the dingers. Ooh, and we also had a little bit of beef. Yeah. Pimping his home run a bit. Diamondbacks players came kind of funny because when you started seeing tweets about it, it read weird. It was like, Pardomo, mad at Marte as he rounds the base as far as the

day get into it. It's like, what Marte are you talking about? We need to be more specific here. Can we add a little bit more. Bob Nightingale salivating right now. He's already got his next hit piece written and ready to be released tomorrow at 8 a.m. Brother, more importantly,

this is win number 700 in the career of Tori Lavallo, one, Salvatore LaVallo. I'm far too close to the man to give a unbiased opinion, as you know, as many of the people that watch our show knows,

I don't ask me to get one. I mean, I know you're not going to give one, but Dam and I go over there every Sunday for dinner. In fact, I'm late right now doing this podcast with you right now, but I appreciate that. I do feel like, you know, it's something I've tried to kind of express my feelings about. And I know a lot of people want to come on to come into our like social post about him winning 700 games and, you know, talk shit and say like, oh, great, he's not even at 500 and all this other stuff.

This isn't exactly a franchise that has gave Tori Lavello the best. team to compete with, right? No. You know, I will say that he has at times made lemonade out of lemons and has done a good job with what he was given, right? But he's also, you know, he's also not necessarily the manager that is brought into a franchise like this just to win, in my opinion. He is brought into a franchise like this because of what he can do.

with players and what he can do to get the most out of young guys that he can. I mean, look at what he's been able to do with every single one of these guys. Look at how Geraldo Perdomo turned into an MVP candidate. Look at what Corbyn Carroll has become, a legend in the franchise.

Ketel Marte was a throwin in a trade with the mayor. He sure was. It's not to say that was all Tory because Marte, you know, obviously got going before Tori was here, but still, in Tori's tenure. Well, I know. I take that back.

I think Tori has been here the whole time. Marte has been here. Yeah, I think the year, it might have been the year after or the year before. Yeah. Well, I mean, it's just one guy after the next set,

Tori has found a way to have these guys coming in this organization, whether they are prospects or, you know, younger players as part of trades and kind of get the most out of them. And that's what he was. That these guys love him. Like he, he that's it like he creates relationships with these players where it's not just a manager player

relationship like he you can like hearing about how he goes and he's going to the d r to see he could tell martin in the off season to spend time with him and his family and just all the things that he does the way that he's a shield for his players he will take every bullet for his players yeah like he is a he is a manager that i mean he's one of those managers man he's a tito fran you know, Tito Francona-esque manager where his players love him. He's going to fucking do everything he can. He's going to support his players. And 700 wins, man, ain't no joke.

And you're right. The Diamondbacks were abysmal when he first got here. He had nothing to work with. Nothing. It's hard to remember what was done to this franchise because when him and Mike Hazen got here, this franchise had no prospects to be proud of necessarily. and really didn't have much going on with, you know, the organization itself. Who was before it? Was it Hinch?

No, no, no, no. I don't even remember. No, no, no, no. I don't know. I was Dave Stewart. I was Dave Stewart. Are you talking about a coach? I'm not manager.

Who was the manager? I mean, manager. Well, I mean, during that time, it was, um, Kirk Henson. Gibson. Oh, God, fuck that guy. Kirk Gibson. and it was also Dave Stewart and Tony Larissa as all part of that whole. Man, how drug was Larusa?

I can't comment on that. But what I will comment on is that Tori Lovolo and my gaze and were given a broken franchise. And they definitely have done quite a bit to bring them back to relevancy, to make it back to the World Series in 2023, just to do everything they can. To rebound from one of the worst seasons that, yes, I know Tori Lovolo was the manager of to reach the World Series two years later is pretty impressive. I'm not going to say that this podcast is the reason that that happened, but I will say that we popped up at the end of one of the worst seasons,

and we were there to save the day. And two years later, I was shirtless drinking champagne out of a beer bat, celebrating the Diamondbacks making it to the World Series. It was tarps off before it was tarps off. It was tarps off before tarps off. You're right about that. With Tori, though, I mean, again, like I said, I have my criticisms of him.

I think that he deserves his fair share of those, but there's also a lot that he gets blamed for that I don't feel like is necessarily his fault. You know, I think that when you want to sit there and pick apart that like he tends to not, you know, have a contingency plan at times for like a reliever, possibly not having a good game. He doesn't even have another guy, you know,

warming up as the reliever that he just brought in walked a batter on four straight pitches. I mean, I don't love that. And I know you don't like to dry hump your relievers like that. But at the same time, I don't care about that. What you need to do is get guys ready just in case some shit goes down. And I wish he was just a bit more proactive when it came to his management moves. I feel like sometimes he does that stuff just to try to instill confidence and his players and to do things to build themselves up, which he understands the importance of.

and I do not because we just sit here going you can't give away games just because you want to instill confidence in guys you got to win this basketball game right but there's there's more value to him to sacrifice a game at times so that you can bring that guy's confidence back up rather than just immediately being like oh you suck I'm going to go to someone else the first minute that I can't right but regardless there's there's lots of things like that I feel like you can't and nitpick and judge. I also feel like when you look around Major League Baseball, you have almost every

fan base that isn't in first place calling for the head of their manager in a similar way to what would be from D-BACs fans. Even Dodgers fans hate Dave Roberts. And that man has led them to multiple World Series the last time I checked. I don't want to

talk about that, but you get where I'm going with all of that. So I don't know. What are your thoughts on Tori as a manager? And again, And like you said, breaching 700 isn't an easy feat. It's not. And I guess I can't be, I can't give it. I'm a Tory guy.

I love Toro Lavello. I think he's the right guy to steer the ship. And until this team nosedives and underperforms, he should be the man that's steering this ship. I don't believe he's anywhere near losing this team. I think these guys will go to war for him any day of the week. I just hope that the team plays better and plays well

and we're not at the end of the season and we're having the discussion where is Tori Lavello going to be the Diamondbacks manager in 2027 Right, right. Obviously if the team nose dives and shit cans it then yeah, I get it. A chain has to be made at that point.

Sure. Well, I like it. Hell no. But, I mean, there's only so much you can do. But if this team gets a playoff spot, gets into the playoffs, and has moderate success. I'm not expecting this team to win the World Series.

Then again, I wasn't expecting them to get there in 23 either. But hey, if this team is rolling and they're playing well and they get to the playoffs and they have a run, Toro Lavello should be back. Well, that was going to be my question. And you definitely gave me the answer I was seeking because his contract is up at the end of the year. And it feels like it's an easy time to amicably part-way.

with Tory where you can get a new voice in here, a new manager in here, without it being disrespectful to Tori that you fired him or anything like that, right? It's the time to do it if you feel like a different direction is what you want to go in, right? I would say that Tori has gained a tremendous amount of experience as a manager and his 10 years of doing it. And I think that he is right now doing a really good job at continuing to put a competitive team on the field that is injured. It has one injury after the next happening to them. You know, like I will say that there has been some growing pains. I know the young guys have come up and they've had their share of success and their share of failures. But those young guys came up because they were needed, not because the team was like, yes, it's time.

and it's we're ready to see these guys this was done out of necessity and they were still able to get have some big games have some game winners you know ryan waltzmitt tommy troy gruehruher just in this just in this series gruver was crucial in some of those wins right he had some big hits they're late so um i i can't say enough about the the fact that he has done a lot with what he has been given and the luck that this team unfortunately has experienced due to those injuries, due to those circumstances. Jordan Montgomery should have been, you know, a great addition to this team. Corbyn should never have gotten injured with the track record that he has as a starter and how successful he's made. It's insane that all of this stuff happens to these guys when they come to this franchise.

You know, as maddening as it is at times, you can't do anything about that. There's nothing you can do to control those variables, unfortunately. But Tori has done a good job at controlling this team and getting the most out of the players that are here, even when it doesn't always work out for every guy, right? Yeah. It's, it sucks that, you know, Jake is finding success elsewhere. And Alec Thomas was DFAed and traded to the Dodgers. Like, those are guys that you would love to see still part of this team's success right now. But, again, they do have some young stars that obviously are ready to play at a major league.

level. And again, once again, Tori is getting a tremendous amount out of these young guys. There's a lot of people that hate them and are going to continue to hate them. Oh, yeah. I think that's probably the thing that Tori is best at. Like you said, taking those bullets. Yeah. Yeah, the man's

got incredibly thick skin. So kudos to Tori Lavello. 700 wins is nothing to laugh about, nothing to joke about. That's impressive. Also today, I believe Zach Gallen is number two all-time strikeouts. correct he's only a thousand or so behind randy so he correct

get there he might make it the number one i wouldn't hold my breath on that one yeah maybe not yeah maybe not especially with the way he's pitching this year but exact definitely deserves credit quality start for the diamond backs yep quality started as that gallon i don't understand lance barksdale's logic of having the rain delay in the ninth inning instead of just calling the fucking game because don't even get me started on that i mean that game they could have called that shit and nothing was played where we would have granted we won the game today immediately had fucking nightmares of the last time that we were involved in a rain delay in Cincinnati. Oh, I was expecting an hour delay and then we go out there and get sheled and we lose it.

And Jordan Lawler breaks his ankle because of those potholes that they were digging along the outfield track. That was crazy. That was crazy. Oh, you see? That's why he's the fucking right man for the job. That right there. Fucking getting on the umpires and being like, what is that bullshit out there? And then he hits that.

Not just Tori. And then you look behind him, you got fucking beastly Jeff Bannister, just death stare and the, just test stare at Barksdale. Don't make Tori let Jeff Bannister off the leash. You'll regret it. You'll regret it. But, hey, we appreciate you guys checking out the show.

Thank you guys for spending your evening with us. You can follow us on social. I'm at cap underscore K-man with a K. Our guy, Rock is at rock knowledge. That's R-O- Knowledge. Our show is at P-H-N-X underscore D-Backs, but as always, all roads lead to at P-HNX underscore sports on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Appreciate your time. Thank you guys again. Appreciate you. Lovin hearing us say the curse words. Make sure you're subscribed if you aren't already. And we'll see you next time. And remember, kids, baseball is fun. But it is so much more fun after dark. And at the Lavello's house for the garlic bread and the mariner sauce, which is just incredible. It's incredible.