Diamondbacks' struggles stem from woeful glove work

Staff and wire reports

PHOENIX

A couple of Hampton Roads products are enjoying fine seasons at the plate for the Arizona Diamondbacks heading into July.

Just don't ask them about their glove work.

Or that of their teammates.

Infielder Mark Reynolds and outfielder Justin Upton would surely like to stick to bat talk. And why not? Reynolds, a Virginia Beach product, already has 21 home runs and 56 RBIs, a pace that would put him at 45/119 by season's end. Upton, from Great Bridge, is hitting a team-best .320 with good power numbers. He could draw consideration as a reserve for this month's All-Star Game.

But like the rest of their Arizona teammates, once the glove goes on, the ugliness begins.

The Diamondbacks have shown a knack for kicking and throwing the ball all over. Arizona has 71 errors, most in the majors.

The woes afield were revealed again in a 12-8 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, when Arizona committed four errors, including three in the fifth inning to match a franchise record.

"We imploded," manager A.J. Hinch said.

The errors led to six unearned runs as the Angels cashed in on Arizona's incompetence.

In a five-run fifth, Reynolds dropped a throw at first base, Upton dropped a line drive and second baseman Felipe Lopez let a grounder go through his legs, sending the Chase Field crowd of 25,684 erupting into boos.

"I don't have a lot of explanations for how that stuff happens at this level," said Hinch, whose team is last in the National League West and on pace for 97 losses.

On June 21 at Seattle, the Mariners completed a three-game sweep when first baseman Tony Clark dropped a routine two-out throw with the score tied in the ninth, allowing the winning run to score.

The mistakes have left the Diamondbacks grasping for answers. They reject suggestions that players have given up as a team that expected to contend has nose-dived in the standings.

"I don't think it's a lack of effort," Clark said. "You hang around the game long enough, unfortunately, you're going to end up seeing some things you haven't seen before."

Reynolds, the team's leading home run hitter, has proved to be as dangerous in the field as he is at the plate. Injuries have forced Hinch to move Reynolds between third and first base, and Reynolds seems uncomfortable in both, with eight errors at third base and five at first base. A year ago, Reynolds had a team-high 35 errors, all but one at third base.

Upton has six errors - unusually high for an outfielder less than halfway through the season.

"I think the mistakes start to pile up on us at times," Hinch said. "But regardless of what the source is, at this level, those mistakes get exposed. They can cause you to lose, and we're finding those ways too often."