Photo: Corbin Carroll flies around second base on his way to third for a triple to open the game on his “Bobblehead” night. .
It has awhile since the Arizona Diamondbacks were in any type of playoff discussion. In fact, you have to go back to 2017 when the D-backs hosted and beat the Colorado Rockies in their last home playoff win. Arizona would get swept by the Dodgers in the League Divisional Series, and it has been ho-hum ever since.
Since that year the D-backs had two more consecutive winning seasons, but not good enough to make the playoffs. The 2020 season was a shortened due to COVID-19, and was the first of three consecutive losing seasons, the worst being in 2021 when Arizona came up a loss short of tying their all-time worst record of (111). Last year another losing season, but it was far better than the year before.
Photo: The official Corbin Carroll bobblehead Fans lined up hours before in hope of getting one of the 15k that were given away
Now here we are in 2023, a big start with new faces, including an all-star rookie by the name of Corbin Carroll, playing together, and most importantly, winning. Carroll, who is the frontrunner for rookie of the year, was recently moved to the leadoff spot in the batting order and is batting .281 with 22 homeruns and 64 RBIs, plus 39 stolen bases. The pitching staff led by another all-star, Zac Gallen (14-5) 3.11 ERA, and former Yavapai Roughrider Merrill Kelly (10-5) 2.97 ERA. Both have come up with strong consistent outings, as the D-backs were in first place with a record of (40-24) on June 13. The team would get no better than 16 games above .500, again with a (45-29) towards the end of June.
July was a tough one for the D-backs with a double whammy, as the pitching was not as solid, and the hitting was not there like it had been. Losing two out of three, as they went (8-16), and giving up first place to the Dodgers. Arizona would fall to third place as the Giants pushed ahead.
The first half of August was the worst, as the D-backs lost nine in a row, falling under .500 for the first time this season at (57-59) and looking like they were done. Now all of a sudden we are seeing a resurgence by the team, getting that record over .500 again by winning twelve of their last fifteen. The bats have returned, along with a little more consistency on the hill.
Can they find a way to close the season out like they started? Manager Torey Lovullo thinks so, “We had a great start to the season, with many new players coming in and building a team that could compete day in and day out. The season is long and things happen. Our players have to keep working each day to do what they can to help this team win. We had a tough stretch but I think we have put that behind us now. There is still a lot of baseball to be played and if we can stay healthy, we have a good shot at being in the post season. It’s exciting for the fans and for us. We just have to do our part.”
The current homestand closed out today with a 5-2 win over the Reds. The D-backs won five of six and should have won the Saturday night game as well. Sitting in third place in the National league west at (69-62). Next up is a trip to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers beginning tonight. A sweep of the first place foe would be a timely start to the final 31 games of the regular season.
September’s schedule will be tough. Home games are scheduled with the Orioles, Giants, Cubs, and Astros. Throw in the road games with the Cubs, Mets, and Yankees. A successful month would surely put the Arizona back in the post season. The D-backs will have to play solid and consistent down the stretch in order for us to see a return of play in October. Best of luck gentlemen!
