Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen knew exactly where to find the motivation for his start on Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants.

Gallen joined Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Thursday and said he got the motivation from himself as he pitched six innings with one run on two hits, striking out a season-high 11 batters in the team’s 9-2 win on Wednesday.

“For me, it’s internal. I feel like I had a coach at a young age that said, ‘great players are even better self-evaluators,'” Gallen said. “For me, it’s being able to look yourself in the mirror and motivate yourself.

“You can go out there and externally find the negative or positive. A lot of the times the negatives are somewhat ignorant but being able to look yourself in the mirror and address what you need to address and what motivates you, that’s where a lot of my motivation stems from.”

Gallen has been strong as of late, posting a 4-0 record with a 2.68 ERA and 38 strikeouts in the month of September as the D-backs currently hold the final Wild Card spot by one game over the Atlanta Braves ahead of their final regular season series against the San Diego Padres.

Gallen said he feels the playoff chase experience from last season has put them in a better position for 2024.

“Knowing what we did last year, we know you just got to get in,” Gallen said. “This year, thankfully we are in a position we control our own destiny as opposed to last year (where) we kind of did but we needed some help. I feel like the vibes from the outside, a lot of people thought they were negative. For the most part, we just knew we needed to handle business.

“Teams are playing us hard now, especially teams in the division that want to play spoiler. They don’t want see another team in their division get into the playoffs, so these are games that mean something to them. Winning last night felt good, got the monkey off their back, we got a tough Padres team coming in and we feel ready for the challenge.”

Gallen said he welcomes the pressure the team is facing during this playoff race and knows how to deal with it even when he’s not pitching.

“I think for me it’s just preparation. I think just knowing how much I prepare and being able to prepare myself for the day I take the mound,” Gallen said. “I think that takes care of a lot of the pressure.

“There’s probably more pressure the four days leading up to a start than the fifth day. At that point, you are just relying on your talent and what you had done to prepare those past four days to go out there and just compete. Honestly, I feel more pressure the four days I’m not pitching because I have no control of the game. I’m just sitting there, watching the game and rooting the fellas on. When I’m out there, I let my talent take over and let the preparation take over.”

With Triple-A Reno, Del Castillo has hit .312 with 26 home runs and 75 RBIs with a 1.002 OPS. Baseball America notes that Del Castillo, who leads the Triple-A level in OPS and is fifth in home runs, has been one of the best players in the Pacific Coast League in 2024.

Del Castillo scuffled at Miami in his draft year of 2021 and for two seasons in the D-backs’ system. That tide began to turn this season, when everything clicked for the 24-year-old left-handed hitter in the Pacific Coast League. Del Castillo led the minor leagues with a .603 slugging percentage and 1.002 OPS and also finished fourth with 65 extra-base hits despite spending more than a month in the big leagues, where he filled in for an injured Gabriel Moreno.

Del Castillo made his MLB debut on Aug. 7 versus the Cleveland Guardians, where he got his first career major league hit.

He would get his first career home run two days later in dramatic fashion, hitting a three-run, walk-off homer against the Philadelphia Phillies.

In 25 games played with the D-backs, he hit .313 with four home runs and 19 RBIs with a .893 OPS.

He platooned with Jose Herrera at the starting catcher position before being sent down on Sept. 16 after Gabriel Moreno was reinstated from the injured list.

With Triple A-Reno, Diaz has a 3-4 record with a 3.22 ERA, 63 strikeouts and a 1.29 WHIP.

Diaz made his MLB debut on July 8.

In six games pitched with the D-backs, Diaz has a 1-1 record with a 3.86 ERA with 18 strikeouts and a 1.32 WHIP.

After a loss to the Kansas City Royals on July 28, Diaz was sent down back to Triple-A but was brought back to the majors on Sept. 12, where he has pitched out of the bullpen.

Baseball America’s minor league All-Stars at every level include a current D-backs prospect and a former one

Diamondbacks prospect Demetrio Crisantes, who split the year with the Single-A Visalia Rawhide and Arizona Complex League team, made Baseball America’s low-A All-Star team at second base.

The 19-year-old slashed .333/.429/.478 and put together 57 straight games of safely reaching base for Visalia.

Former Arizona prospect Deyvison De Los Santos made the Double-A team for the publication at first base for his time under the D-backs’ umbrella. He spent much of the year at two lower levels with Arizona’s organization before being dealt to the Miami Marlins in the A.J. Puk trade.

De Los Santos posted a .372 average and 1.12 OPS with Double-A Amarillo before he was promoted to Triple-A.

He was then in the trade to the Miami Marlins organization and cooled off to bat .240 with a .743 OPS in 50 games with Triple-A Jacksonville.

The D-backs find themselves in the playoff race thanks to their MLB-leading offense that’s scored 861 runs. All-Star Ketel Marte has led the way, hitting .295 with 35 home runs and 98 RBIs, while players like Eugenio Suarez, Joc Pederson and Christian Walker have stepped up for an offense that was ranked 14th in runs scored with 746 in 2023.

Picking the team’s biggest success of 2024, ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle unsurprisingly chose the D-backs offense.

The Arizona offense has been one of the most explosive groups in the majors. The Diamondbacks lead the big leagues in scoring by a decent margin, and while their home venue plays into that, Arizona has also been a top eight or so offense when away from Chase Field. The Snakes rank in the top two in all three slash categories, and only the Dodgers have homered more often among NL clubs.

Despite the offensive success, the same can’t be said for the starting rotation. While Zac Gallen has won 13 games and Ryne Nelson has stepped up in the wakes of injuries to Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez, Doolittle lists Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery as the team’s biggest failures this season.

When Arizona acquired Eduardo Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery, it looked like the D-backs had supercharged their rotation. Whether it’s injuries, a short spring (in the case of Montgomery) or simply bad pitching, the moves have yet to pay off. Together, Rodriguez and Montgomery have a 5.93 ERA and just seven quality starts out of 28. Montgomery accounts for six of those quality starts, but his numbers lapsed so badly that for a time he was bumped to the bullpen.

After signing a four-year deal in the offseason, Rodriguez didn’t make his first start until Aug. 7 after missing the first few months of the season with a shoulder injury. In eight starts, Rodriguez has posted a 3-3 record with a 5.09 ERA, 36 strikeouts and a 1.45 WHIP.

Despite his struggles, Rodriguez’s last start was one of his best of the season, going 6 1/3 innings with just two earned runs surrendered and 11 strikeouts in the team’s 9-4 win versus the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.

Montgomery has had his struggles this season as well. After signing just a few days before the start to the regular season, Montgomery has posted an 8-7 record with a 6.23 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP. He was moved to the bullpen on Aug. 23 following the returns of Rodriguez and Kelly.

Montgomery would return to the rotation after Nelson was placed on the injured list with a shoulder injury. His last start was a mixed bag, going 4 1/3 innings while giving up three earned runs with six strikeouts and two walks in the team’s 10-9 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday. 

Iced out for our @Big12Conference debut 🥶#ForksUp /// #ActivateTheValley pic.twitter.com/6N16Nq5Yvs

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) September 19, 2024

ASU’s white jerseys feature maroon squad numbers outlined in gold, with Adidas and Big 12 logos on the left and right front side of the jerseys, respectively. In between the logos, the collar of the jerseys have a PT42 patch on it as a tribute to former Sun Devil Pat Tillman.

The pants have a large pitchfork on the right thigh, similar to Week 3’s jerseys but in white instead of gold. The team helmet will feature two maroon pitchforks on the sides of the helmet.

Texas Tech will wear all red jerseys with a black helmet for Saturday’s game. The Red Raiders’ name and player numbers are threaded in white with Big 12 and Adidas logos on the left and right side of the jersey.

Between the logos, the collar of the jersey has a Texas Tech logo on it. The pants have a white stripe on the sides.

Laser focused 💯

Game 4 uniform combo.#WreckEm | #TeamAdidas pic.twitter.com/LIKTgnOUkt

— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) September 19, 2024

Raider Power ⚫️🔴🔴 pic.twitter.com/hiJGM3J6xR

— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) September 19, 2024

The team helmet features a red and white stripe printed from the front to the back with the Texas Tech logo just below the stripe.

Gardeck and Collins made their presence felt with four of the Cardinals’ five sacks on Stafford in the team’s 41-10 win on Sunday, with the former registering three sacks.

Gardeck told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Monday that the defense wanted to get off to a good start and they set the tone for what they wanted to do on their first drive of the game, in which they got a turnover on downs.

“I think just the sense of urgency of let’s go win this from the time they set the ball down, which has kind of been felt since all of last week,” Gardeck said.

Collins told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Monday they were confident of what they could accomplish on Sunday and that they had the right mindset headed into the game.

“We had a game plan and we just had that mentality of we want to hit these keys in our game plan as a defense and we did from the first drive,” Collins said.

“We kind of started in a bad area but we really don’t care whether it’s minus, plus, wherever we are at, ball in the middle of the field, we really don’t care it’s just the same mindset to just go out there and play defense and get them to a fourth down stop. They go for it on the fourth down, they turned the ball over to us and (they) didn’t get it. So that’s the mentality we had out the gate and it worked out for us.”

Collins said that the team’s pass rushing struggles against the Bills helped them learn against the Rams and what they could do moving forward.

“The first week we had good and bad traits and then we kind of just focused on eliminating those bad traits out of the game and just applying it to weeks moving forward and that’s what we did this week and I think it worked,” Collins said.

The Cardinals pass-rushing attack has been looking for players to step up due to the loss of B.J. Ojulari to a season-ending knee injury and defensive lineman Darius Robinson for the start of the season with a calf injury. Despite the injuries, Gardeck said he did not feel pressure to be more of a presence in the team’s pass-rushing attack and stuck to his game plan.

“I knew I was going to go out and play my football game,” Gardeck said. “I’m just going to go out there and execute what my coaches ask me to do. I know that I have the capability and when they decide that what’s they need, I’m going to go out there and do it.”

As Week 4 approaches in the 2024 college football season, the Arizona State Sun Devils’ 3-0 start to the season puts them in a good position to be a part of bowl season for the first time since 2021.

ASU still has a ways to go to reach the six wins required for bowl game eligibility, as it still has matchups against Oklahoma State, Kansas, Utah and Kansas State remaining on its schedule.

Meanwhile, the Arizona Wildcats are off to a 2-1 start, but their college football playoff hopes hit a bump in the road after a loss to Kansas State in Week 3, which knocked them out of the top 25 AP college football rankings after previously being ranked No. 20.

With the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams in 2024, one loss still gives Arizona a shot at making the playoffs. With the new 12-team field being composed of the five highest-ranked conference champions as well as the next seven highest-ranked schools, Arizona will likely now have to win the Big 12 in order to get in.

Arizona will face a tough matchup after its bye week against the Utah Utes on Sept. 28.

Which bowl games are ASU projected to play in?

ESPN: Independence Bowl vs. Indiana (Dec. 28), Sun Bowl vs. SMU (Dec. 31)

Action Network: Independence Bowl vs. TCU

CBS Sports: Sun Bowl vs. Louisville

Athlon Sports: Sun Bowl vs. North Carolina

Which bowls games are Arizona projected to play in?

ESPN: Las Vegas Bowl vs. South Carolina (Dec. 27), Holiday Bowl vs. Notre Dame (Dec. 27)

CBS Sports: Las Vegas Bowl vs. Tennessee

247 Sports: Las Vegas Bowl vs. Kentucky

Athlon Sports: Las Vegas Bowl vs. Auburn

Action Network: Sun Bowl vs. UNC

Gardeck joined Big Red Rage on ESPN 620 AM Thursday and discussed his experience of meeting O’Malley during the practice and defending him as he caught passes from quarterback Kyler Murray. 

“It was absolutely terrifying because if I see an average person about the same size as Sean O’Malley, I’m thinking if we have to step outside, I might be ok,” Gardeck said.

“And I know for a fact that is not the case with Sean O’Malley. So it was terrifying.”

UFC Champion Sugar Sean O’Malley visited Arizona Cardinals training camp today.

Sean O’Malley lives out in Phoenix Arizona. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/GTnSS28l8k

— 🌵 Mr. Az (@MrAzSports) August 28, 2024

Gardeck and Murray weren’t the only Cardinal players O’Malley got to work with during the practice as he also got to work out with offensive lineman Will Hernandez.

Will Hernandez gets Suga Sean O’Malley on the ShotSled™️ at the Cardinals training facility! 🚨🛷#Resilite | #ShotSled pic.twitter.com/XWUAQDezYf

— 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙚 (@resilite) August 30, 2024

Despite the apprehension of meeting O’Malley, Gardeck said it was a positive experience meeting and working out with him.

“He was great. He was open to trying anything and everything. He’s an awesome dude, but absolutely terrifying,” Gardeck said.

“It was all like a blur,” Dallas said on Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke Friday. “I just know one of my old ball coaches used to always say if a team can return one or get a defensive score, you got an 80 percent chance to win it. I was just happy be a part of the winning edge in that sense.”

Dallas was the first player to score a kick return touchdown under the NFL’s new kickoff format. He was also the first Cardinals player to score a kick return touchdown since David Johnson did it in a game in 2015.

Dallas credits the play as something he and the team had worked on preseason and the blocking on the return was a reason he scored on the play.

“I think that’s the one (play) I was the most comfortable with. We had repped it all through preseason and that’s the one we repped the most,” Dallas said.

“I felt like that’s the one I was most comfortable with knowing where each and every block was and just with the guys who were blocking I was most comfortable.”

Dallas said he was confident he could score under the new kickoff rules.

“You always think about doing it but with the new rules, it’s kind of like a defense running (cover) zero on an offense and you get a zero blitz, if you can get past the first line of defense, usually it’s pretty smooth sailing after that,” Dallas said.

Murray released a vlog on his new YouTube channel Friday, showing off a minicamp trip he took to Los Angeles with his teammates this offseason. (Warning: Explicit language included)

In the vlog, Murray is seen working out with several teammates at UCLA, including Marvin Harrison Jr., James Conner and Greg Dortch. The video also shows off Murray and his teammates spending time together off the field, such as going to dinner and hanging out in the pool.

Prior to arriving in Los Angeles, Murray goes into detail in the video about his excitement for the team and the confidence he has going into the season.

“I know what we can be, (I am) confident what I could be coming off an ACL (injury), not only on the field but off the field. I know what type of guys we got in the locker room. When you are trying to build a culture, it starts at the top and I believe we have the right people at the top,” Murray said. “Every decision they make is for the betterment of the team.”

Murray credits head coach Jonathan Gannon with keeping everybody on the same page.

“JG got everybody’s head on right. It’s up to the leaders to push that sentiment of what JG is preaching,” Murray said. “Obviously, we got to go out there and execute when it comes to football time but other than that, the values and the morals of the squad, the nucleus of the squad I think is headed in the right direction.”

Murray and the Cardinals kick off their season in Buffalo against the Bills on Sunday. Kickoff is 10 a.m. MST. The game can be seen on CBS.

The radio broadcast of the game can be listened to on the Arizona Sports app, 98.7 and ArizonaSports.com.

During a recent interview on the Up & Adams show with Kay Adams, Durant picked the Dallas Cowboys as the team he would get rid of.

Kevin Durant says seeeeee ya @dallascowboys pic.twitter.com/6FjikRdCCB

— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) September 6, 2024

“I just don’t like them,” Durant said. “I had to ask myself why I don’t like the Cowboys because I don’t hate any teams or any players. I’m a huge fan of a lot of teams, but the Cowboys are just that one team I don’t like.”

Relegation is not a practice in the NFL but it’s in the French Ligue 1 soccer league, where the 14-time All-Star purchased a minority stake in the Paris Saint-Germain soccer team in August.

🏀 Kevin Durant at the PSG Campus 🤝

📺 Before tonight’s final, take a look back at Kevin Durant’s visit to the PSG Campus 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/qZjHEXfPBW

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) August 10, 2024

Durant, who grew up in Washington D.C., is a longtime Commanders fan. He explains his pick for relegation is due to seeing many people in the D.C. area become Cowboys fans over the years.

“It’s probably like 75 percent Cowboys fans in Washington D.C. in my group of people that are Cowboys fans and I just hate that they don’t stay loyal to the crib,” Durant said.

If the Commanders, behind Heisman trophy winner and former Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels are successful this season, don’t expect Durant to welcome back anybody that would want to jump back on the Commanders bandwagon.

“They gonna have to stay on that side. We not letting them on the bus,” Durant said.

ESPN’s Ben Solak believes outside linebacker Zaven Collins, who signed a two-year contract extension during training camp, could be a player that steps up for the Cardinals. He labeled Collins as the X factor for the team in 2024.

It is unfair to expect Collins to make a similar leap like the one Haason Reddick — another Arizona draft pick who transitioned from off-ball linebacker to edge rusher — once enjoyed, but it is reasonable to expect he is better off the edge in Year 2 than he was in Year 1.

Solak said the former first-rounder’s pass-rushing impact is critical for a team that was 30th in the NFL with 33 sacks last season.

While Collins is probably most valuable for his versatility, his pass-rush impact will be the most important part of his game following these early-season injuries.

How does Collins look going into 2024?

Through three seasons with the Cardinals, Collins has 103 tackles, 12 passes defensed, 5.5 sacks and two interceptions.

After starting at inside linebacker in his first two seasons, Collins made the move to outside linebacker in 2023 in his first season under defensive coordinator Nick Rallis. In the new role, he had 41 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three passes defensed and an interception.

Who could emerge as a pass-rushing option outside of Collins?

Collins will line up with fellow outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck, who led the team with six sacks last year.

Rookie defensive end Xavier Thomas could emerge as an option off the defensive line, coming off a strong preseason where he registered two sacks and four QB hits in two games played.

Inside linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. could be another option for the team as he had 3.5 sacks, four tackles for loss and four quarterback hits last season with the New England Patriots.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes there’s a legitimate chance they can. He has the Cardinals finishing with a top-10 offense as one of his surprises for this season. 

I’ve heard nothing but positives about quarterback Kyler Murray, which is a far cry from what we were hearing out of Arizona a couple of years ago. The Cardinals were 10th in offensive EPA, 10th in yards per play (5.6) and second in rushing yards per game (152.8) last season after Murray returned from his 2022 season-ending injury in Week 10, and adding receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. this year should be a massive boost to the passing game.

Graziano said there should be optimism for what the Cardinals could do offensively in 2024 after Murray’s return last season.

Murray has now had a fully healthy offseason in Drew Petzing’s offense, and based on what it looked like with him at quarterback in the second half of last season, there’s plenty of reason for optimism on that side of the ball. The defense might be a problem, but the offense in Arizona could be a lot of fun to watch.

In eight games played, Murray threw for 1,799 yards with 10 touchdowns. He also ran for 244 yards and three touchdowns as he led the Cardinals to a 3-5 record after they started the season 1-8.

How the Cardinals’ offense looks going into 2024?

The Cardinals went through much shuffling on offense this offseason with the addition of Harrison and running back Trey Benson in the draft and receivers Zay Jones and Chris Moore through free agency.

Arizona will be without Jones to start the season after he was suspended five games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Despite the suspension, the Cardinals still have options at the receiving position. In addition to Harrison, second-year receiver Michael Wilson attempts to emerge as the No. 2 receiving option on the team and Greg Dortch potentially lines up as the slot man on offense after the team traded Rondale Moore to the Atlanta Falcons this offseason.

Tight end Trey McBride will also be a top option on offense, coming off his best season in 2023, where led the team in receiving catching a 81 passes for 825 yards and three touchdowns.

The Cardinals will kick off their season in Buffalo against the Bills Sept. 8. Kickoff is 10 a.m. MST.

Arizona swept the Marlins by outscoring them 22-15 in the series despite being out hit 35-24 and overcoming a three-run deficit Wednesday to secure the sweep in Miami.

Now, the Diamondbacks will be facing the Red Sox to wrap up their nine-game road trip as they sit tied for the top wild card spot in the National League with the San Diego Padres and four games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.

The Red Sox are back home after taking two out of three in Houston against the Astros and sit at 67-59, third in the American League East and 3.5 games behind the Kansas City Royals for the last wild card spot.

Boston has been a better team away from Fenway Park this season, posting a 38-27 road record in contrast to their 29-32 record at home.

Here’s what to know going into this weekend’s three-game series:

Diamondbacks-Red Sox pitching probables

Friday, 4:10 p.m. – Ryne Nelson (8-6, 4.35 ERA) vs. Brayan Bello (11-5, 4.80 ERA)

Saturday, 1:10 p.m. – Zac Gallen (9-6, 3.85 ERA) vs. Kutter Crawford (8-10, 4.25 ERA)

Sunday, 10:35 a.m. – Merrill Kelly (3-0, 3.63 ERA) vs. Tanner Houck (8-8, 3.01 ERA)

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo will continue to use a six-man rotation as Nelson will get the start Friday. Nelson was available in the bullpen in Wednesday’s series finale against the Marlins but did not pitch in the game, making him available for the start. Nelson will match up with Red Sox right-handed starter Brayan Bello.

Nelson has been one of the D-backs’ best starters as of late. In his last seven starts, Nelson has a 2-0 record with a 3.05 ERA while recording 47 strikeouts.

Gallen and Kelly will look to bounce back from their last starts in Tampa Bay, where Gallen surrendered four runs in five innings and Kelly gave up six runs in five innings in his second start since returning from the injured list.

Gallen will go up against righty Kutter Crawford, who has struggled in his last seven starts with a 3-3 record and a 7.18 ERA and has a 4.25 ERA on the season. Kelly will go up against one of the Red Sox’ best starters of the season in righty Tanner Houck, who leads the team in ERA with a 3.01 ERA and has posted 135 strikeouts.

Diamondbacks and Red Sox hitters to watch

D-backs: With Arizona set to face three right-handed pitchers in the rotation this weekend, designated hitter Joc Pederson will likely be in the starting lineup. Pederson has been good his last 15 games, hitting four home runs with 12 runs batted in with a .366 hitting average and a .683 slugging percentage. Pederson has already hit more home runs and RBIs than what he hit last season with 20 home runs and 58 RBIs.

Red Sox: All-Star third baseman Rafael Devers is a player to watch for in the Red Sox lineup. While he has hit only .230 in his last 15 games, Devers has still put out respectable numbers this season, boasting a .294/.579/.951 slash line while hitting 27 home runs and 77 RBIs.

How to watch Diamondbacks-Red Sox

All three games will be televised on DBACKS.TV through channel 34 on Cox.

The radio broadcast for all three games will be available on the Arizona Sports app, 98.7 and ArizonaSports.com.

Picking who has the best individual tools among the top 100 prospects, MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis lists Jones as the best defender.

Another tools standout with an impeccable pedigree, Jones is the son of Andruw Jones, who won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1998-2007 and ranks among the best defensive center fielders ever to play the game. In his first pro game, Druw made a Willie Mays-esque over-the-shoulder grab in deep center and served notice that he’ll be a future Gold Glover as well. His combination of plus-plus speed and outstanding instincts gives him tremendous range, and he possesses well above-average arm strength as well.

Jones is ranked No. 91 among the MLB.com Top 100 prospects and second among Diamondbacks, behind only shortstop Jordan Lawlar (9).

Like father, like son!

Druw Jones, the son of 10x Gold Glove Outfielder Andruw Jones, makes this catch LOOK EASY 😤

(via @MLBPipeline)pic.twitter.com/GVJKNwJDQy

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 7, 2023

How has Druw Jones’ 2024 season been going?

Jones is having a bounce-back year after he tore his labrum in his shoulder during his first batting practice with Visalia in 2022. He was sidelined last season by a right quadriceps injury and suffered a hamstring injury during rehab as well.

In 95 games with the Single-A Visalia Rawhide, Jones has a .266 batting average with five home runs and 55 RBIs along with 17 stolen bases.

Druw Jones plays hero at Single-A!

MLB’s No. 78 prospect (@Dbacks) crushes a walk-off homer for the @VisaliaRawhide. pic.twitter.com/3mqBmc4L6q

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 12, 2024

Defensively, Jones has 92 starts at center field with a fielding percentage of .973 and four assists.

Jones started in center field for the National League in the 2024 MLB All-Star Futures Game.

Arizona State and Arizona join former Pac-12 teams Colorado and Utah as newcomers to the 16-team conference. But how challenging of a schedule do they have with parity making the conference favorites a bit unpredictable?

It’s not easy for the Sun Devils. CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah has Arizona State with the second-toughest schedule, behind the Colorado Buffaloes with the hardest schedule in the conference.

The Sun Devils have one of the most undesirable nonconference runs in the country with Wyoming, Mississippi State and an ascending Texas State. The only home conference game where the Sun Devils are likely to be less than a 5-point underdog is BYU in the penultimate week of the season. Every game on the schedule is losable.

Arizona State was picked to finish last in the Big 12. Meanwhile, the rival Wildcats were picked to finish fifth in the preseason media poll.

Jeyarajah has Arizona 14th in strength of schedule, behind the Kansas Jayhawks and Kansas State Wildcats with the easiest schedule in the conference. Both Kansas schools notably were picked ahead of Arizona in the preseason poll.

The Wildcats play a game against Kansas State that’s technically a nonconference tilt. Going to Utah in the first week of Big 12 play will be a massive test. Survive it and the schedule opens up. There’s no Kansas, Kansas State (as a conference game), Oklahoma State or Iowa State. Arizona closes the year with UCF, Houston, TCU and Arizona State, which could set up a conference title game run.

Arizona State’s 2024 football schedule

Saturday, Aug. 31 vs. Wyoming — 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 7 vs. Mississippi State — 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 12 at Texas State — 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 21 at Texas Tech

BYE

Saturday, Oct. 5 vs. Kansas

Friday, Oct. 11 vs. Utah — 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 19 at Cincinnati

BYE

Saturday, Nov. 2 at Oklahoma State

Saturday, Nov. 9 vs. UCF

Saturday, Nov. 16 at Kansas State

Saturday, Nov. 23 vs. BYU

Saturday, Nov. 30 at Arizona

Arizona’s 2024 football schedule

Saturday, Aug. 31 vs. New Mexico — 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 7 vs. Northern Arizona— 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 13 at Kansas State — 5 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 28 at Utah

Saturday, Oct. 5 vs. Texas Tech

Saturday, Oct. 12 at BYU

Saturday, Oct. 19 vs. Colorado

Saturday, Oct. 26 vs. West Virginia

Saturday, Nov. 2 at UCF

BYE

Friday, Nov. 15 vs. Houston — 8:15 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 23 at TCU

Saturday, Nov. 30 vs. Arizona State

Here is information on what to know before attending the practice.

When will the Red & White practice start?

The practice will take place from 1:15-3:15 p.m. Before the beginning of the event, Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill and head coach Jonathan Gannon will address the crowd.

Parking and entry to the practice

Parking will be located on the east side (Green and Grey) and west side (Orange) of the stadium and will open at 12:15 p.m.

Gates will open at 12:30 p.m. to season ticket members and for everybody else at 12:45 p.m. Fans can enter at the BetMGM, Hyundai and Bud Light gates of the stadium.

The event will have open seating and will be located in the lower level of the stadium.

Fans will be required to acquire tickets for entry, even though the event and parking are free. They can acquire tickets here.

What can fans bring into the stadium?

Fans can bring a factory sealed 16.9 ounce bottle of water into the stadium.

All fans attending the event will be subject to screening, including the use of magnetometers before entering the event.

The NFL’s clear bag policy will be in effect and fans are asked to limit the items brought inside the stadium.

What will be at the event?

In addition to the practice, the event will have many activities including the chance for autographs from the players after the practice, a selfie station, Big Red and cheerleading autographs, concessions and more.

More information on the event and training camp is online.

Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Dante Stills said he is more comfortable headed into his second season in the NFL and is ready to perform.

“Last year, I was all new to this and I was trying to make my way, day by day but now I feel like I’m more comfortable coming out here and performing at the highest level,” Stills told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke Thursday.

Despite being more ready for this season compared to his rookie year, Stills is still working to improve his play.

“It’s so hard to pick one thing (to improve on) because I feel like I got to be good at every level that I might play with when it comes to footwork, hand placement, hand eye coordination, being able to get off a block, being able to control blocks,” Stills said. “I feel like everything going into this camp is preparing for all things necessary.”

Stills said he and the team are responding well to defensive coordinator Nick Rallis and that it will help the team.

“He’s very different than a lot of coaches I’ve played for,” Stills said. “I’m definitely seeing a lot of different things being accumulated to it and put on paper that we all like and are going to contribute to the team very well.”

Stills is excited for the team’s defense and is enthusiastic about what they can do this season.

“They’re definitely some hunters on this team. Guys are very excited to go out there and run around and make plays and be physical and be violent,” Stills said. “It’s a good group and I’m definitely excited this year to see what we can do.”

In his rookie season, Stills played in 15 games, totaling 47 total tackles and 3.5 sacks.

Stills acknowledges the team and specifically the defense is young, but he embraces it.

“We are all locked in and focused on what we got to do on the field,” Stills said. “Once you get in between the white lines, the young, older kind of don’t matter. We don’t really (think) about we are a young team. We just go out there and try to play good ball.”

Arizona Cardinals quarterback coach Israel Woolfork said Kyler Murray has grown more as a leader and that he’s comfortable sharing information with younger players.

“I think he’s super comfortable on who he is, “Woolfork told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke Thursday. “I think he’s comfortable with the coaching staff and where the organization is right now and he’s playing free and being free. “Kyler has been in the league a lot of years now, so he has a lot of experience that he can pass on to a lot of these young guys.”

“He’s had success and he’s failed at times and he’s built on that. Rather it has to do with the media or how to play on the field, how to prepare for games, just overall his experience is acknowledgeable to a lot of young guys. He’s been really good with building and connecting with those guys and sharing that information.”

Woolfork went over Murray’s work ethic and how much of a presence he has had on and off the field.

“He’s been very consistent on how he has approached work on a daily basis rather that’s on the field, in the classroom, around the locker room, (he’s) continued to be positive,” Woolfork said. “We got a lot of young guys out there, so getting reps with them, building relationships with those guys and (he’s) continue to get a lot of work with the vets.

“He only got to practice a couple months last year, so all these reps and walkthroughs, practices and competitive periods have been super important. He’s been taking advantage of all the opportunities.”

Woolfork acknowledged the importance of working together with Murray and how much they depend on each other.

“My job depends on Kyler and Kyler’s job depends on me,” Woolfork said. “The more information I give him, the more I can help him out.”

Woolfork said Murray getting more reps under center last season has made him more of a threat on offense.

“When you’re under center, it adds another layer of what the defense has to expect,” Woolfork said. “If you don’t contain him, he can definitely take off and run and he’s a good mobile quarterback and he’s a good thrower on the move. That adds another layer of something you got to prepare for. Not just the run game, but just the movement and the play action shots that he can throw down the field.”

Under Woolfork, Murray returned from a knee injury suffered in 2022 and started the final eight games of last season, throwing for 1,799 yards and 10 touchdowns while rushing for 244 yards and three touchdowns.

Pro Football Focus’ Nathan Jahnke has Wilson as a sleeper fantasy football pick for the 2024 season with an average draft position of 16.08 (16th round, 8th pick).

Wilson was a third-round pick by the Cardinals last season and was immediately put in as their Z receiver. He had a slow start in Week 1, leading to a reduction of playing time, but he rebounded in Week 2 leading to his playing time getting restored and was WR40 from Weeks 2-8. He accomplished this despite having Joshua Dobbs as his quarterback.

With Marquise Brown leaving in free agency and Rondale Moore being traded to the Atlanta Falcons, Jahnke has Wilson being much more of a impactful deep threat option this season.

The exciting part about Wilson this season, outside of his health, is that he was more of a deeper threat. His 14.1-yard average depth of target was among the top-10 wide receivers last season who ran 400 routes. With Brown off the roster, he could see even more deep targets. Murray has the third-highest accuracy percentage among quarterbacks on deep passes over the last four seasons among those with 50 or more deep attempts. He’s also the most consistent on accurate-plus throws or throws where the pass is perfectly accurate or away from coverage.

How does Wilson look going into 2024?

In his rookie season in 2023, Wilson played in 13 games had 38 receptions for 565 yards and scored three touchdowns. Wilson did miss four games with a shoulder injury but returned the last four weeks of the regular season.

Wilson enters his second year as part of a revamped receiving group after the departures of Moore and Brown, as the Cardinals added Harrison in the draft and Zay Jones and Chris Moore in free agency.

They join Greg Dortch and tight end Trey McBride, the latter of whom led the Cardinals in receiving last season with 81 receptions for 825 receiving yards and scored three touchdowns.

Arizona Diamondbacks legendary pitcher Randy Johnson gave credit to his free agency decision to join the team as a prime reason he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Johnson, along with Luis Gonzalez, will be inducted as the first two members of the D-backs’ new Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony on Saturday at Chase Field.

The Big Unit joined Arizona Sports’ Bickley and Marotta on Tuesday to retell his path to the infant franchise ahead of the 1999 season. He credited former D-backs owner Jerry Colangelo on the success the team had during his first stint with the D-backs and the impact it had on his career.

“He’s a visionary. Lots of people are visionaries but lots of things don’t come as they plan. Jerry is one of those lucky souls where if he touches something, things turn out pretty well,” Johnson said.

“I’m very fortunate that the decision I made to come to the Diamondbacks was the reason why I’m in the Hall of Fame. Going anywhere else, I don’t know what would have happened.”

Going into free agency after 1998, Johnson was coming off one of the best stretches of his career after a midseason trade to the Houston Astros from the Seattle Mariners where he posted a 10-1 record with 116 strikeouts and a 1.28 ERA.

Johnson talked about the pitch that Colangelo gave the then-35-year-old that convinced him to come to Arizona.

“When Jerry Colangelo came to my house and gave me a sales pitch to come and be part of the franchise, a piece that would turn this franchise around, that was his vision,” Johnson said. “Getting me and things falling in place with my performances, we played better and turned things around.

“I think it was fifth place for the Diamondbacks in 1998 to winning the NL West in 1999 and that carried over into 2000 and our team transformed into a serious competing team and warranted trading for the likes of Curt Schilling and players like that.”

Johnson admitted the D-backs weren’t initially his first choice when it came to teams to sign with in free agency.

“The Diamondbacks weren’t on the top of my list and coming off a 10-1 season, (I thought) it would probably be better to go to a more established team, like the Dodgers, and continue where I left off,” Johnson said. “Jerry continued to pursue me coming to the Diamondbacks and to be a big part of the success of the franchise and eventually he won me over and it worked out in a big way and I’m thankful for that.”

Johnson played 22 seasons in the majors with the Montreal Expos (1988-89), Mariners (1989-98), Astros (1998), D-backs (1999-04 and 2007-08), New York Yankees (2005-06) and San Francisco Giants (2009). He won 303 games and struck out 4,875 batters.

During his first tenure with the D-backs from 1999-2004, Johnson won four consecutive Cy Young awards from 1999-02 and would help Arizona capture its first and only World Series in 2001. Johnson was co-MVP of the series alongside Schilling. On May 18, 2004, Johnson would throw the franchise’s first perfect game against the Atlanta Braves. 

His number 51 was retired by the D-backs in 2015, the same year he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.