Arizona
Diamondbacks' Slade Cecconi looking to make mental adjustment
PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Slade Cecconi has been as dominant as any starter in baseball the first time through an opposing batting order, and that continued Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds.
He did not give up a hit until his 12th batter, yet his final line was 5.2 innings and a grisly six earned runs in a 6-2 loss.
Cecconi became the only pitcher of the past 50 years to throw 2.0 perfect innings in five straight starts at any point of a season but has faced problems maintaining that ember.
He challenged himself after the game to make a mental adjustment, aiming to get rid of a bad habit.
“When I find myself getting hit is when I find myself looking to place the ball,” Cecconi said. “I’ll usually maybe take a mile an hour or two off a pitch to try to execute it. I’m learning that can’t happen, that’s not going to play at this level. The better thing to do is always throw my best stuff.
“… As unfortunate as today was, I’m looking to use today as the day I take the mental leap.”
Here are opposing hitter splits against Cecconi this year:
First time: 1-for-43, 12 Ks
Second time: 15-39, 6 Ks
The right-hander’s fastball velocity had a wide range, up to 96.7 mph and down to 89.7 mph. He felt this was not a fatigue issue. He ripped a couple 96 mph heaters in his last at-bat to punch out Jonathan India.
Cecconi noticed himself placing the ball especially when behind in counts, which he seldom was the first round through the order. Cecconi was in attack mode with his fastball and effectively using the changeup, getting through three innings with only 34 pitches.
“They were swinging a lot early that first time through. I think the second time through we used the curveball more early and I wasn’t landing it,” Cecconi said. “But I think that was what got in my head a little bit where I was like, ‘Okay, I’m not landing that first pitch, I’m behind, let me get back into the count.’ That can’t happen anymore.”
The Reds scored two runs each in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings and went 7-for-14 at the plate against Cecconi after the third frame. Will Benson hit a two-run shot to take a 4-2 lead in the fifth, one the Reds never relinquished. Cecconi left the game with four runs charged to him, but Logan Allen let in a pair of inherited runners with two outs.
BENSON 💣 pic.twitter.com/nY7DqapblI
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) May 15, 2024
Manager Torey Lovullo and catcher Tucker Barnhart had a conversation in the middle innings when the catcher was noticing a difference out there.
“When you place the baseball, there’s a lack of finish to it and that’s when hitters really squared it up,” Lovullo said. “Ninety-six with a fearless, attacking mentality is going to get you better results than trying to place the baseball with no finish.”
D-backs pitcher Slade Cecconi looking to make a mental adjustment after tonight’s outing. pic.twitter.com/KiZ2QGsXNQ
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) May 15, 2024
“I don’t know what attributes to that necessarily, but of a lot of times when you get into a little bit of trouble, everybody tends to try to do maybe a little bit more, try to get three outs with one pitch,” catcher Tucker Barnhart said.
Cecconi said this issue has popped up in the past, but he figured it had to do with conditioning. Plus he was more equipped to get away with it at lower levels.
Lovullo has brought up Cecconi needing to get through a lineup thrice effectively multiple times before. This was a reason he was optioned to Triple-A Reno last year and out of the race for the fifth starter role at the end of spring training.
The manager said maintaining Cecconi’s stuff has been on his mind since he’s been watching him pitch. Cecconi is still only nine starts into his big league career, and most of them have been solid. It’s hard not to be tantalized by the highs of these starts, the potential they show. And the D-backs need him with the pitching injuries that continued to test the depth of the roster.
“I know I’ve been very critical of Slade, but I know he’s capable of doing more. That’s what we are supposed to do as coaches and teachers is challenge our guys to be the best version of themselves,” Lovullo said.
Hunter Greene deals vs. Diamondbacks
Arizona’s offense did not build many innings off Reds starter Hunter Greene, who went seven innings with two earned runs.
The D-backs took a 2-0 lead in the third on a Blaze Alexander two-out, two-run knock the other way. After that, the Diamondbacks had four hits, not more than one in any inning.
Kevin Newman stayed hot with a 2-for-2 night. He has multiple hits in four straight games, the only D-backs hitter to do so this season.
Ketel Marte and Gabriel Moreno had the night off and will start on Wednesday.
Diamondbacks’ next game
The rubber match is Wednesday at 12:40 p.m. D-backs right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (4.60 ERA) matches up with Reds southpaw Andrew Abbott (3.35 ERA).
Tune to 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
Arizona
2026 NFL draft: 3 potential trades back from No. 3 for Arizona Cardinals
Since the Arizona Cardinals want to trade back from the No. 3 picks, here are three deals that could work.
The Arizona Cardinals have the third pick in the 2026 NFL draft, which begins this week on Thursday. All the reports coming out are saying that they want to trade out of the pick to acquire more draft picks.
But what does a trade look like and who could be involved?
The Kansas City Chiefs are involved in talks at some level. ESPN’s Adam Schefter expects trade talks to heat up this week.
NFL teams use a variation of a trade value chart when it comes to draft picks. Now, what a team actually is willing to give up can be influenced by potential competition with other teams, but we can’t count on that.
Here is the general trade value chart teams use.
Here are some potential deals that could be done.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have two first-round picks, which would be appealing to the Cardinals, who reportedly want to make a move for quarterback Ty Simpson, and the 29th pick might be just the spot to get him.
The third overall pick is worth 514 points.
The Chiefs’ picks at No. 9 (387 points) and No. 29 (202 points) together are worth 589.
To make up the difference, the Cardinals could give up No. 65 (78 points) for a total of 592 points.
One deal could be:
- Cardinals receive get No. 9 and No. 29 (589 points)
- Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 65 (592 points)
Another could be:
- Cardinals receive No. 9, No. 29, No. 74 and 2027 third-round pick (653 points + value of future third-round pick, which is 36-78 points)
- Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 34 (689 points)
The Cardinals keep their third-round pick and the Chiefs essentially move back five spots from No. 29.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have the 12th and 20th picks but no pick in the second round.
Pick No. 12 is 347 points and No. 20 is 269 for a total of 616.
This deal is close:
- Cardinals receive No. 12, No. 20 (616 points)
- Cowboys receive No. 3, No. 65 (592 points)
New Orleans Saints
The Saints are perhaps a dark horse to move up, although they do not have two first-round picks. They have the No. 8 pick, worth 406 points. Their second-round pick, at No. 42, is worth 142 points.
This deal could work:
- Cardinals receive No. 8, No. 42 (548 points)
- Saints receive No. 3, No. 104 (547 points)
Then the Cardinals could use their two second-round picks to then move back into Round 1 to get Ty Simpson.
They could trade No. 34, No. 42 and No. 65 (395 points) for No. 28, No. 38 and No. 106 (398 total points).
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Arizona
Dust returns to Phoenix area after hazy weekend – KTAR.com
PHOENIX — Breezy winds kicked up a blanket of dust across the Valley on Sunday, and forecasters say more is on the way this week.
Visibility in Phoenix became so bad on Sunday that Sky Harbor airport stopped flights for over an hour
The wind and dust peaked Sunday afternoon and gradually improved into the evening, said Michael Graves, an air quality meteorologist with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
“You might’ve seen the mountains a bit obscured in the distance,” Graves told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday. “A lot of haze in the air.”
By Monday morning, skies had largely cleared and dust levels near the ground had dropped significantly.
Expect more gusty, dusty days this week
The relief may be short-lived.
ADEQ is watching for increased afternoon breezes Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, this time from the west and southwest. Though the winds are expected to be weaker than Sunday’s, Graves said forecasters cannot rule out dust.
“I wouldn’t say windstorm,” Graves said. “I would just say we’ve got some waves coming in. They’re going to increase our afternoon breeziness.”
It’s enough to kick up dry, exposed dirt, which could create pockets of dust. There is a slight chance of broader regional dust transport, Graves said.
It will impact people with asthma, COPD or respiratory conditions the most. Graves advised those with issues to monitor conditions and stay indoors during the dustiest hours.
“If you’re going to be outside, be outside during the times when it’s less dusty or hazy,” Graves said.
Graves noted that spring weather systems typically pass to the north of the Phoenix area, delivering wind and slight temperature drops but little to no rain, a pattern likely to continue.
KTAR News reporter Kellen Shover contributed to this report.
Arizona
Trying to beat the heat: Addressing rising temperatures in Southern Arizona
The University of Arizona and Tucson are known for yearlong warm weather, but when is it too much? With temperature reaching record highs in March, the city of Tucson has already reported increased temperatures for this year.
In the wake of the third annual Southern Arizona Heat Summit, integrating voices throughout the City of Tucson, community stakeholders and experts from UA gather to speak about possible solutions and policies to address rising temperatures and extreme heat.
The summit strives to ensure that the lived experiences of Southern Arizona residents are voiced. The first summit commenced in 2024, in response to the declaration of an extreme heat emergency in Arizona by Gov. Katie Hobbs, as part of a larger plan called Arizona’s Extreme Heat Response Plan.
With representation from organizations such as the American Red Cross, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, Arizona Jobs with Justice, Tucson Indian Center and many more, the summit emphasized the importance of the perspective and concerns of stakeholder groups throughout the community.
The summit included a variety of UA experts, including faculty representing the School of Geography, Development and Environment; the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy; the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture.
One particular project, led by Ladd Keith at the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning, is a part of the Southwest Urban Corridor Integrated Field Laboratory, which is funded by the United States’ Department of Energy to explore extreme heat throughout Arizona. SW-IFL works in collaboration with other national laboratories including those at ASU and NAU.
The team works to analyze extreme heat in the southwest and rural areas, and how communities deal with heat by conducting interviews. The team has also prescribed policy to Pima County and the City of Tucson regarding more effective strategies to combat rising temperatures, such as green stormwater infrastructure.
Anne-Lise Boyer, a post-doctoral researcher with the Climate Assessment for the Southwest, shared that the team particularly analyzed extreme heat in three parts: heat mitigation, heat management and heat governance.
Mitigation deals with prevention through strategies such as green infrastructure and planting trees, while management includes cooling sensors and heat warning systems. Governance allows these measures to be enacted through policy.
In Tucson, some of the most meaningful work the team has engaged in has been drafting the City of Tucson’s Heat Action Roadmap in 2024, which outlines goals to mitigate and mandate extreme heat and its impacts while prioritizing community voices.
The goals of the roadmap include informing and educating citizens of Tucson on the adverse effects of extreme heat and cooling people’s homes and neighborhoods by incorporating heat risk in regional planning. These steps are essential to practicing heat management, especially as the city of Tucson grows.
“I think the most interesting thing about being based in Tucson is that because the heat has been here for a long time, it’s like a laboratory in itself,” Boyer said. “We have all this research and all this collaboration happening with local actors because it’s a pressing issue in Arizona.”
As the annual heat summit recurs, new ideas and perspectives continue to be shared throughout the community. Boyer shared that this year, the Southern Arizona Heat Summit focused on the youth perspective, highlighting middle school and high school students and how heat impacts their everyday lives. Many students spoke about how heat shaped their lives at home, school and sports.
“That’s one of the goals, to have community members participate and give their input in how they wish the city will deal with the heat,” Boyer said.
Boyer and Kirsten Lake, a program coordinator for the SW-IFL team, also shared how the impacts of extreme heat impact some neighborhoods and communities in Tucson more than others, and that their research often evaluates these factors to determine where heat management efforts would make the greatest impact.
“Its important when you’re putting into effect some of these measures, that you make sure you put it where it’s going to make the biggest difference,” Lake said.
The work of the SW-IFL team is not just locally known. The Brookhaven National Lab based in New York deployed a specialized truck to Tucson to collect information on the atmosphere and rising temperatures. The SW-IFL team hosted the Brookhaven team.
Additionally, Keith’s work has led to a guidebook called “Planning for Urban Heat Resilience” which focuses on the adverse effects extreme heat poses to marginalized communities across the country.
“It is so different from place to place and neighborhood to neighborhood because you have to take the whole context into account,” Boyer said. “They recommend first to document the heat impacts in your communities.”
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