The style and philosophy of manager Torey Lovullo of the Arizona Diamondbacks are beginning to take shape. Games during spring training provided only a slight glimpse into Lovullo’s thinking.
Now that the season has begun, certain patterns are developing. A prominent feature of Lovullo’s approach is the construction of his batting order.
For the opener on Sunday, Lovullo had shortstop Chris Owings hitting in the two-hole against left-hander Madison Bumgarner, and right fielder David Peralta, a left-handed hitter, batting in the sixth position. In game two of the season against right-hander Johnny Cueto, Lovullo moved Peralta to the two-hole, where he batted for most of the spring training contests and dropped Owings down to sixth.