The Diamondbacks are stuck in a scoring funk, and it’s doing real damage to their postseason chances. Arizona simply has to find a way to start putting runs on the board again if it wants to keep its playoff push alive.
There was at least one bright spot in the system. Amarillo Sodpoodles outfielder Avery Owusu-Asiedu has been on a tear since his promotion to Double-A, homering in four straight games for the second time in a month. That kind of streak hasn’t happened in a few years, and the last player to do it was the Dodgers’ Will Smith.
Arizona also put out its spring training schedule despite the looming threat of a lockout. It’s a small bit of normalcy in a sport where, as the piece put it, the owners and players are competing to see who can set fire to the game faster.
On the roster front, the Diamondbacks made a surprise move by designating Jorge Barrosa for assignment. The longer September goes on, the more it looks like Arizona has some kind of handshake deal with Max Kepler to keep him around.
And help is on the way, at least on the mound. The Diamondbacks are set to activate Corbin Burnes on Tuesday. The only question left is whether Burnes can maybe get a hit with runners in scoring position.
Around the league, there’s plenty of award chatter heating up. Mark Walter’s financial scandal is shaping the NL West conversation, though the idea that his investor-fund troubles will put any leash on the Dodgers is expected to be a disappointment to those hoping for that outcome.
In the NL Rookie of the Year race, Sal Stewart has emerged as the clear favorite. The Cincinnati Reds may have another winner on their hands, but this one could still go down to the wire.
The NL Central, meanwhile, is lining up for a potential awards sweep. The Brewers could have the Cy Young winner, the Reds the Rookie of the Year, and the Cubs the likely NL MVP. The division could even wind up with the NL Manager of the Year.
And in San Francisco, the Giants have been way off BaseRuns. They’re more than 12.5 base runs below where they should be, and it’s costing them heavily.
In Other News...
Diamondbacks Put Brandon Pfaadt In A Brutal Spot Tonight
The Diamondbacks keep running into the same problem at the worst possible time, and it has turned Brandon Pfaadts assignment into a tough one to navigate. Arizona has scored one run in four straight games, the fifth time that has happened in franchise history, and the offense has been stuck in a stretch that has produced a .174 batting average and a .510 OPS over the last five games. Even with a low BABIP of .229 suggesting some of this skid has been driven by bad luck, the lineup still has to find a way to give its starter something to work with.
Pfaadt gets the ball tonight with a chance to steady things, and he has earned that trust with multiple scoreless outings this season. He has also shown well against division leaders, which makes this matchup feel like a legitimate opportunity for Arizona to stop the bleeding. The question now is whether the bats can finally give him the kind of margin that has been missing throughout this stretch, or whether another good start ends up buried under the same lack of support. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Clutch Slump Feels Brutal But One Bigger Fix May Be Coming
The Diamondbacks have spent recent games living with the kind of offensive frustration that makes every missed chance feel bigger than the last. Their inability to cash in with runners in scoring position has been especially glaring, including a series without an RISP hit, and it has put a spotlight on a lineup that has otherwise had enough talent to believe better days are coming.
There is at least some reason for patience, because the teams monthly OPS with RISP has already shown how much this part of the season can swing, with strong stretches in April and August bookending rougher months in between. Arizona also expects some regression to the mean in September, and the bigger fix may come from the other side of the game as the starting rotation waits on the returns of Corbin Burnes and Michael Soroka to help steady a staff that has been too uneven for comfort. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Just Delivered The Kind Of Win Fans Can Rally Around
For a Diamondbacks club that has spent plenty of recent nights looking for a clean finish, this one had the kind of shape fans can latch onto. Arizona went into Daikin Park and beat the Astros 4-3 in 10 innings, with Ketel Marte supplying another big swing when he launched his 22nd home run of the season to keep the lineup moving in the right direction.
The closing stretch carried the sort of tension that can linger for a visiting team in Houston, and Arizona got just enough relief work to hold it together. Brandyn Garcia collected his fifth save with a sharp finish to the extra-inning frame, giving the Diamondbacks a win built on timely hitting, a late push, and a bullpen effort that gave them something real to build on. [Read more 🡒]