Tommy Troy was out of the Diamondbacks' lineup Sunday against the Mariners, ending a run of six straight starts just as Arizona reached its series finale. Tim Tawa took over in left field.
The move mattered because Troy had been one of the steadier lineup fixtures over the past week. In his last six games, he went 5-for-19 with two doubles, a 3:4 BB:K and five runs scored, production that helped explain why his absence stood out when the lineup came out for Sunday.
That recent stretch is also what made the decision easy to notice. Troy had started in each of Arizona's last six games before hitting the bench for the finale, so this was not a case of him drifting in and out of the order. It was a clean break from a regular run of starts.
The lineup change itself was straightforward: the Diamondbacks went with Tawa in left field against Seattle. What was not explained was why Troy was held out on Sunday, leaving the move as a decision without a public reason attached to it.
For now, that is the story line around Troy. He had earned six consecutive starts, produced in those games and still found himself out when the Diamondbacks needed a lineup for Sunday. Whether he is back in the next game is the part left unanswered.
