The Arizona Diamondbacks dropped two of three to the Toronto Blue Jays this week, managing to salvage the series finale and avoid the sweep. Here are the main takeaways from the series.
Arizona Diamondbacks’ Bullpen is Getting Worse, Not Better
The D-backs lost game one 5-4 in a ninth inning walk-off when Shelby Miller gave up back-to-back homers to blow a save.
Game two was a 2-1 ballgame heading to the bottom of the sixth. But Tayler Scott and Kevin Ginkel combined to allow six runs in the sixth and seventh innings to blow it open, resulting in an 8-1 loss.
Game three looked like like a laugher, with Arizona holding a 9-1 lead heading to the bottom of the seventh inning. Anthony Desclafani came in to pitch the last three innings, but allowed four runs while recording just six outs on 41 pitches. That forced Miller to pitch in a game he should have been resting to secure a 9-5 win.
For the series the D-backs’ bullpen pitched 10 innings and gave up 13 runs, 12 earned on 17 hits, including four home runs. It’s not unreasonable to think that with just average relief work the team would have won the series, and might have even stayed close enough in game two to stage a comeback.
Mike Hazen said earlier in the week there are almost no sellers and there are no trades to be made in the immediate future. Hazen said the pitchers they have now are going to have to carry the load and pitch better to carry the team through this stretch.
That seems like a pipe dream. Injuries have continued to pile up, and the revolving door of waiver wire pickups is not getting the job done, either in the majors or in Triple-A. Veteran holdovers like Ginkel and Ryan Thompson continue to struggle.
Newcomers like Scott and DeSclafani have helped continue to drive up the team’s bullpen ERA which now sits at 5.42, 28th in MLB. Outside of Miller and Jalen Beeks, the only pitchers that look even remotely trustworthy are rookies Juan Morillo and Kyle Backhus. Backhus has only four innings pitched in the majors.
There can be no doubt that the D-backs have had more than their fair share of pitching injuries. And nobody is doubting Hazen when he says the deals aren’t there to improve the bullpen. But it’s his job to find a way to make that happen sooner than later if he wants his team back in the Postseason.
Wild Card Race is Tightening for Arizona Diamondbacks
Despite the pitching woes, the Diamondbacks are currently 2.5 games back in the NL Wild Card as of this writing, and will be no worse than three games out by the end of the evening. By winning the series finale they keep themselves close enough to continue to apply pressure on the teams in front of them, and more importantly, pick up their own confidence as they head to Colorado.
It’s always important to get on the airplane in a good headspace as you go to the next city, and the team accomplished that with the Thursday victory.
Injury Bug Hits Arizona Diamondbacks Lineup
Gabriel Moreno was not able to play in the series due to a right hand contusion, forcing Jose Herrera to catch every game. It was ultimately decided to put Moreno on the injured list, retroactive to June 16 and send him back to Phoenix for more imaging. Aramis Garcia was called up to replace him.
Losing a Gold Glove catcher with a 101 OPS+ is a blow. Handing all of the playing time to two catchers, Herrera and Garcia, that have career .535 and .572 OPS numbers respectively, puts a dent in the offense.
So does losing Corbin Carroll, even if only for one game. He was hit by a pitch on the hand Wednesday night and had to sit out Thursday’s series finale.
X-Rays were negative, but that was the case with Moreno as well. While the team is playing down the severity of the Carroll injury, and the outfielder reportedly wanted to play Thursday, there will be concern until he plays through a game with no ill effects.
The D-backs have the fourth-best offense in MLB, and that’s kept them afloat and in the race. But they simply cannot afford any slowdown in offense whatsoever if they’re to remain in contention.
