Cubs at Diamondbacks live updates. Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen take step
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Diamondbacks right-hander Corbin Burnes threw strikes, got a couple of outs and then threw a little more in the bullpen. It was, he said, a good first step. He hopes that after one more, he might be ready to make his long-awaited return.
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Burnes pitched on Tuesday, Aug. 25, in a so-called “bridge camp” game at Sloan Park in Mesa, recording two outs and allowing a single against a lineup of Chicago Cubs minor leaguers.
Pitching in the same game was Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen, who gave up one run in three innings.
Burnes’ fastball was mostly in the low-90s, topping at 93 mph.
“It was good,” Burnes said. “Came out and threw strikes. Did what I needed to do. The misses we had were right around the zone. That was kind of my whole goal coming back was to make sure we’re filling up the strike zone and being around it. Give ourselves a chance to get outs. From the look of it, shapes, everything was pretty good there.”
Burnes’ next outing could come on Saturday, Aug. 29, perhaps with Triple-A Reno, manager Torey Lovullo said. Lovullo added that Burnes could pitch elsewhere in the minors due to wildfires in the Reno area.
After that, Burnes could be reinstated from the injured list, perhaps in Houston for the Diamondbacks’ series there Sept. 4-6.
After his outing on Tuesday, Burnes went to the bullpen and threw another 11 pitches, building his pitch count up to around 25. He threw there with less effort, he said, noting that the plan was to build the pitch count while limiting the intensity.
Burnes was targeting a return from Tommy John surgery in July but had a setback due to a shoulder issue. His next outing in the majors will be his first since June 1, 2025.
If he were to return in Houston, it likely would be a shortened outing. In that scenario, he would build his pitch count at the major league level rather than in the minors.
“We’ll figure out what the next parts of this puzzle look like,” Lovullo said. “Getting Corbin back at three (innings) and 45 (pitches) is the conversation. Is that going to be good for him? Is that going to be good for us? What does our bullpen look like at the time?”
Said Burnes: “I think it’s going to depend on how everything goes in Reno. If everything goes to plan, that might be. But, obviously, there are some other higher ups than me that make that decision. But my goal is to get back as quickly as I can. Today was a good step in that direction.”
Gallen, who also is working his way back from an elbow issue, was primarily in the 93-94 mph range with his fastball. He threw 45 pitches.
“It was good,” said Gallen, whose fastball was in the 93-94 mph range. “It was good to get the work in. Just kind of progressing. I felt like the stuff was getting better as the outing went on. I feel like I’m in a good spot.”
Gallen’s return from the injured list could come a little after Burnes’, primarily because he isn’t eligible to come off the 60-day IL until Sept. 7. Gallen was asked if he expects to be ready when eligible.
“I would like to be,” he said. “It’s an interesting kind of process we’ve gone through. Just taking it day by day. I feel like I’m trending in a good spot. We’ll see how I bounce back. I think that’s been the biggest thing — start-to-start, how I’m bouncing back. I was pretty pleased with today.”
Lovullo apologizes to Counsell for sign-stealing dust-up
Lovullo said he apologized to Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell on Tuesday, a day after his club accused the Cubs of engaging in illegal sign-stealing with right-hander Merrill Kelly on the mound.
Lovullo got clarification from Major League Baseball and was told base coaches can do what they want so long as they are in the coaches’ boxes in foul territory. Lovullo said he was under the impression that offseason rules changes made the relaying of signs illegal; instead, all that changed was coaches being required to stay in their box.
“Everything the Chicago Cubs were doing was perfectly legal and within the boundaries of the rules,” Lovullo said.
In the fifth inning on Monday night, Aug. 24, Kelly stepped off the mound after he witnessed Cubs third-base coach Quintin Berry relaying signs to a runner on second base every time Kelly was about to throw his changeup.
Coaches on the Diamondbacks’ bench engaged in a screaming match with Cubs’ coaches in the opposite dugout. They also got into a back-and-forth with Berry, as did Kelly after he was removed from the game.
“Our main objective is ‘Operation: Protect Our House,’” Lovullo said. “That’s all I care about. We’ve got to take care of our guys so if there’s a tell we’ve got to see it. So we are constantly looking at our guys so we don’t give away stuff. And we slipped. We got beat. Credit to the Cubs for being able to see that and decode us on the level they were. It wasn’t an easy angle for the hitter to see, so therefore the base coach got involved. Which is fine.”
The Diamondbacks already have addressed it from Kelly’s perspective to prevent it from happening again, Lovullo said.
Lovullo was asked if he might ask his coaches to start looking to relay similar information now that he is aware it is legal.
“Yes,” he said. “I think we’re going to jump into that pond.”
Cubs at Diamondbacks, 6:40 p.m., Cox, Ch. 34
Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (7-1, 3.39) vs. Cubs RHP Clay Holmes (5-6, 2.49)
At Chase Field: Pfaadt battled through 5 2/3 innings in his last start on Aug. 19 in Boston, allowing five earned runs on seven hits but striking out eight with no walks. He gave up three home runs. But in the four previous starts, Pfaadt did not surrender a single earned run over a combined 27 2/3 innings. In short, Pfaadt has turned around his season and is now a key part of the rotation. ... Holmes transitioned from reliever to starter in 2025 when he joined the New York Mets after several seasons with the Yankees. Traded to the Cubs at the deadline, he missed almost three months this season with a broken fibula and has been back since Aug. 8. Holmes has a loss to the Diamondbacks from May 9 of this season, when he allowed two runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings and took the loss in a 2-1 defeat to Arizona at Chase Field.
Coming up
Wednesday, Aug. 26: At Chase Field, 12:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (13-4, 2.71) vs. Cubs LHP Matthew Boyd (8-2, 4.15).
Thursday, Aug. 27: At Oracle Park, 6:45 p.m., Diamondbacks TBD vs. Giants RHP Blade Tidwell (0-0, 3.58).
Friday, Aug. 28: At Oracle Park, 7:15 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Mitch Bratt (1-2, 4.54) vs. Giants LHP Matt Wilkinson (0-1, 6.35).
(This story has been updated to add information.)
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cubs at Diamondbacks live updates. Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen take step