Smith went 2-for-3 with two walks, a double, a homer, two RBI and a stolen base during Thursday's 6-4 win against the Marlins.
It was the third straight two-hit performance for Smith and his second consecutive game with a home run. The 29-year-old has yet to make a start against a left-handed pitcher this season, but he's batted in the heart of the lineup every time Arizona has faced a righty and has a .404/.491/.745 slash line with seven doubles, three long balls, seven RBI and 10 runs through 18 games.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Belts solo homer
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Smith went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-2 win over Miami.
Smith extended Arizona's lead to two runs in the sixth inning, when he took Max Meyer deep to center field for a 429-foot solo home run. It was Smith's second homer of the year, and he's begun the season slashing .386/.460/.659 with nine runs and five RBI in 50 plate appearances while filling the strong side of a platoon at designated hitter.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Joins the homer party
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Smith started at first base and went 3-for-5 with a double, a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 9-0 win over the Orioles.
Smith was one of four members of the Diamondbacks that went deep in the win. His two-run shot in the fifth inning, his first homer of the season, was the first of back-to-back homers. The Diamondbacks are finally seeing a string of right-handed starters, which has given Smith starts in four consecutive games. During that stretch, the lefty hitter is 7-for-13 with three extra-base hits, three RBI and four runs scored.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Out against lefty Saturday
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Smith isn't in the lineup for Saturday's matchup against the Nationals.
Smith will take a seat with lefty Mitchell Parker starting on the mound for Washington. That's been a trend for Smith this season, as he's yet to be in the lineup against an opposing southpaw starter. Randal Grichuk will start at DH in Smith's stead Saturday.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Sitting out versus left-hander
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Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.
Left-hander Carlos Rodon is taking the hill for the Yankees, so the left-handed--hitting Smith will begin the contest on the bench. Randal Grichuk will start at designated hitter and bat cleanup for the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: On bench versus lefty
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Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.
The lefty-hitting Smith will take a seat for the second game in a row while the Cubs deploy another left-handed starter (Matthew Boyd). Ketel Marte will get a day out of the infield and will replace Smith as the Diamondbacks' designated hitter.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Sitting versus LHP
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Smith isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game versus the Cubs.
Left-hander Shota Imanaga will toe the slab to begin Saturday's contest, so Smith and his career .600 OPS against lefties will remain on the bench. Randal Grichuk will serve as Arizona's designated hitter instead and bat fourth.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Makes first start
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Smith started at designated hitter and batted fifth in Friday's 8-1 win over the Cubs, going 3-for-5 with two doubles, one RBI and two runs scored.
Smith was on the bench for Thursday's season opener against a lefty but made his first start Friday with a righty on the mound. The lefty hitter is coming off an encouraging season in which he achieved career highs in slugging, hard-hit and barrel rates. Smith will be given the chance to hold down the strong side of a platoon at DH, while Randal Grichuk should be in the lineup against lefties.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Ready to go Sunday
Rotowire
Smith (wrist) is starting at first base and batting cleanup in Sunday's split-squad game against the White Sox.
Smith departed Friday's contest due to a bruised right wrist but will rejoin the lineup just two days later. The 28-year-old is expected to begin the season operating as Arizona's primary designated hitter against right-handed pitching, with Randal Grichuk likely to handle the small side of the platoon.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Homers off bench
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Smith hit a solo home run and walked over two plate appearances in Friday's spring game against Cincinnati.
The Diamondbacks fielded what looked like a potential regular-season lineup Friday, but the lefty-hitting Smith did not start against a right-hander. Instead, manager Torey Lovullo had Jake McCarthy at designated hitter while Alek Thomas was in center field. To this point in spring training, it's widely been assumed that Smith would be the lefty component at DH against right-handers, and that McCarthy and Thomas were in a battle to start in center field. That still may be the case, and no conclusions should be drawn from this one spring contest. Smith has homered in two consecutive Cactus League games and is batting .259/.375/.856 through 32 plate appearances.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Rough night in field
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Smith started in right field, went 0-for-4 and couldn't track down a couple of flyballs in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Padres.
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo went with Smith's offensive potential -- he had six homers and a .310 batting average in September coming into the game -- over Jake McCarthy, a better defender with more range. The move backfired immediately when Smith couldn't track down leadoff batter Luis Arraez's flyball, opening the door to San Diego's four-run first inning. Smith later couldn't track down another fly from Arraez in the fourth that turned into a triple and the Padres' fifth run. The loss left the Diamondbacks outside the final wild-card spot with two games left and could lead to McCarthy replacing Smith on Saturday.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Losing work to Gurriel
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Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.
On the bench for a second straight matchup with a right-handed pitcher, Smith looks to have moved back into a reserve role after having occupied a strong-side platoon role in left field for much of the previous two weeks. Smith's playing time will likely be more sparse moving forward now that top left fielder Lourdes Gurriel is healthy again after missing time with a calf strain.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Remains in lineup
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Smith started in right field and went 1-for-5 in Friday's 7-4 win over the Brewers.
Friday's game featured the return of Lourdes Gurriel from the 10-day injured list, which will cost someone at-bats. That someone was Jake McCarthy on Friday while Smith remained in the lineup. Smith, who's been a more productive hitter than McCarthy of late, hit safely for a seventh straight contest and is 10-for-24 with six extra-base hits, five RBI and five runs over that stretch.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Goes deep in victory
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Smith went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 5-1 win against the Brewers.
Smith capped the scoring in the contest with a two-run shot in the eighth inning. The long ball was his first since he went deep three times against the Astros on Sept. 8. He's been hitting well of late, though, compiling a six-game hitting streak during which he's batting .474 (9-for-19) with four doubles, five runs and five RBI. His path to regular at-bats will take a hit when Lourdes Gurriel returns from a calf injury, which could happen this weekend.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: On base three times
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Smith went 1-for-2 with two walks in Monday's 3-2 loss to Colorado.
Smith has been a regular in left field against right-handers since Lourdes Gurriel (calf) landed on the injured list. The lefty-hitting Smith is 10-for-25 with four home runs, 14 RBI, eight runs and a .484 on-base percentage over 10 games since replacing Gurriel, who has been taking at-bats at the Diamondbacks' camp and could rejoin the club later this week.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Rattles off three hits
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Smith went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in Saturday's 15-8 loss to the Brewers.
Smith was one of five Diamondbacks to post multiple hits in the blowout loss. He has a pair of three-hit efforts over his last five games, though Smith remains in a strong-side platoon role despite his recent success at the plate. For the year, the 28-year-old has a .280/.348/.550 slash line with seven home runs, 28 RBI, 21 runs scored and one stolen base over 115 plate appearances. Smith could see his role reduced once again whenever Lourdes Gurriel (calf) is ready to return.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Doubles, delivers run in win
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Smith started in left field and went 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 6-0 win over the Rangers.
Smith followed up his three-homer game Sunday with a more pedestrian outing Tuesday. He's been the primary left fielder against right-handers while Lourdes Gurriel tends to a calf injury. Gurriel began hitting Tuesday, is scheduled to run Thursday and the club is hopeful for a return after the minimum 10-day stay on the injured list. That means Smith's starting opportunity could be coming to a close this weekend.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Homers, swipes bag in win
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Smith started in left field and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base, a home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Giants.
Smith homered in the fifth inning for his fourth of the season and first since being called up in the middle of August. He also responded to the Giants scoring twice in the bottom of seventh by leading off the eighth with a walk, a stolen base and eventually scoring what turned out to be the winning run. It was his first steal in 2024. The injury to Lourdes Gurriel (calf, 10-day IL) has created a path to at-bats for Smith -- this was his second start since Gurriel landed on the injured list -- and he could be the regular fill-in when Arizona faces a right-hander while Gurriel is sidelined.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Fills in at left field
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Smith started in left field and went 1-for-4 in Monday's 11-6 loss to the Dodgers.
Smith got the start in left with Lourdes Gurriel (calf) unavailable. The Diamondbacks plan to have Gurriel undergo an MRI when one can be arranged, which could provide a clearer picture for his return to action. In the meantime, the Diamondbacks have Smith available for right-handers, Randal Grichuk for lefties and the switch-hitting Jorge Barrosa for pitchers of either hand.
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Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Brought up from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Diamondbacks recalled Smith from Triple-A Reno on Monday.
Smith has hit well for Arizona in 2024 when provided with opportunities, putting up an an .801 OPS with three home runs in 68 plate appearances. However, he would not appear in line for regular playing time during his upcoming stint in the majors.
