D'backs manager Torey Lovullo teases team after dropping NLCS opener in Philly: ‘I can’t believe how old and slow we look"

Despite squaking into the postseason as the last Wild Card, manager Torey Lovullo's Arizona Diamondbacks are now featuring in their first NLCS since 2007. Unfortunately for fans of the snakes, they are one step closer to having to head home.

Game 1 of the NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies got out of control for Lovullo's boys quick. After Kyle Schwarber took Zac Gallen deep on the first pitch of the home half, Bryce Harper added to the Phillies' lead with a solo shot of his own. While the Diamondbacks showed late signs of life, the Phillies captured the opening set 5-3.

"The broadcast couldn’t even get the score bug up before Kyle Schwarber launches this LOL" - Life of a Phillies fan

Tory Lovullo and the D-Backs arrived in Philadelphia ahead of Game 1 with their heads held high. The Snakes had just bagged a pair of massive upsets, tossing aside both the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers in successive sweeps. Hitherto regarded as a team made up of energetic rookies, the D-Backs were punching well above their weight.

With a winning percentage of just .480 since assuming the head coaching role for the D-Backs seven years ago, Lovullo has been met by many with skepticism. A ten-year MLB veteran himself, the 58-year old oversaw a 52-110 2021 campaign in the D-Backs dugout, the worst record in franchise history.

After the loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1, Torey Lovullo reportedly got his team out for a morning game of pickup basketball. Upon observing his players playing at the Palestra, the home court of UPenn, Lovullo had some choice words.

"Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo took several of his coaches and staff members to the famous Philadelphia Palestra for a morning pick-up game of basketball….. ‘I can’t believe how old and slow we look,’’ Lovullo said, laughing." - Bob Nightengale

According to USA Today reporter Bob Nightengale, Lovullo chided his guys, claiming he "could not believe how old and slow we look." Indeed, Game 1 represented the first defeat of the Arizona Diamondbacks' 2023 postseason, and the first game in which they recorded under four runs.

Torey Lovullo has a long way to go to prove himself as manager

With a regular season winning percentage of .519, the D-Backs were level with the Miami Marlins for the figure of any team to make the 2023 postseason. After presiding over some truly miserable years in the desert, a loss in the NLCS will cause many to view Torey Lovullo's 2023 D-Backs as little more than a fluke gone too far.