Christian Walker: 'Today Was About Proving Something to Ourselves'

Despite losing the series, the Arizona Diamondbacks salvaged a win in the series finale against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, buoyed by a solid performance from starter Jordan Montgomery and key contributions from the heart of their batting order.

After the game, Christian Walker, who delivered a 1-2 performance at the plate along with two RBIs, discussed the team’s mindset with Jody Jackson. Reflecting on the day’s success and looking ahead to the upcoming three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Walker emphasized the internal focus of the team. “Today I think was about us, it was about proving something to ourselves, coming in here today, manufacturing some runs, doing everything we can to keep ourselves in a spot to win.”

The Diamondbacks offense was productive, tallying 10 hits against Detroit’s starter Matt Manning. Joc Pederson was particularly effective, going 3-3 and boosting his season batting average to .317.

Walker provided insight into his pivotal 7th inning at-bat, where he singled off Tigers’ reliever Alex Faedo and later scored to extend the Diamondbacks’ lead to 6-4. Praising Faedo, Walker detailed his approach: “He [Faedo] really likes the slider, I feel like he pitches off the spin there, his sinker is good, but I was confident I was going to get some spin early, fortunately, he missed just outside. You know, 1-0 right there, you got a feeling he doesn’t want to go 2-0, so he’s going to try to get back to the zone.”

Indeed, Faedo threw back-to-back sliders, the second of which hung in the zone long enough for Walker to capitalize on the pitch.

When asked about the significance of the win, Walker affirmed its importance. “Yeah absolutely, I feel like there is a mood like there is more left in the tank.” He also recalled a moment in the dugout when bench coach Jeff Banister prompted players to reflect on their recent performances, asking the team about their record over the last 12 games.

As Walker pointed out, the answer was 7-5. He expanded with, “That was a nice perspective change to realize that we are in a good spot and that we can trust ourselves and just go out in play,”

The Diamondbacks are set to hit the road for a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, kicking off Monday at 7:10 PM. Arizona has opted for a bullpen day, while the Dodgers will send Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the mound