The Diamondbacks’ bullpen has slipped back into familiar trouble since the All-Star break, and the numbers tell a pretty blunt story.
Arizona’s relief corps has logged 45 innings in the second half and owns a 4.60 ERA, which ranks 23rd in the majors. That’s a sharp step back from the exact 4.00 ERA it posted before the break, a mark that had them 13th and represented their best bullpen ERA since 2018. The underlying metrics backed up that first-half progress, too: a 3.92 FIP, 4.12 xFIP and 3.96 xERA suggested competence, even if nothing elite.
That has changed in a hurry. The home-run rate has barely moved, ticking from 0.96 to 1.00 per nine innings, but the walks have climbed from 3.01 to 3.40.
The bigger issue is the strikeout drop. Arizona’s bullpen was already sitting at 7.86 strikeouts per nine before the break, which ranked tied for 25th in the majors, and that number has fallen all the way to 6.40 in the second half.
Only the Nationals, at 6.33, have been worse since the break.
The individual numbers are ugly, too. Kevin Ginkel has faced 26 batters and struck out only three.
Taylor Clarke has seen 27 hitters and punched out two. Ryan Thompson has faced 23 batters in the second half without recording a strikeout.
That matters because fewer strikeouts mean more balls in play, and more balls in play usually means more hits. It helps explain why Arizona’s second-half peripherals have jumped to a 4.56 FIP, 4.76 xFIP and 4.56 xERA, all of them up by roughly two-thirds of a run.
The sample is still relatively small, but there’s at least a reasonable question hanging over the group: has the workload caught up with Arizona’s top relievers? The bullpen has six arms with more than 40 appearances, including Ginkel, Clarke and Thompson. No other team has more than six such relievers in 2026, and only the Yankees, Cardinals and Blue Jays have more than four.
In Other News...
Diamondbacks May Finally Have A Real First Base Answer
The first-base picture in Arizona had been a headache for much of the season, with the position lagging offensively through mid-July and forcing the club to keep cycling through options. Since Pavin Smith was designated for assignment, the conversation has narrowed to Ildemaro Vargas, Tim Tawa and Tyler Locklear, a trio that gives the Diamondbacks at least a more workable set of choices than the revolving door they were dealing with earlier.
Vargas has stood out as the steadiest glove in the group, and that matters for a team trying to get more certainty out of a spot that has been anything but settled. The encouraging part is that the bats have also looked better since July 10, which gives Arizona a chance to build something more stable there if it can sort out how to balance defense, handedness and the rest of the lineup moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks May Have Quietly Avoided A Trade Deadline Gut Punch
The Red Soxs decision to send Connelly Early to Washington instead of Arizona may end up looking like a small but meaningful break for the Diamondbacks. Reports indicate Boston turned away Arizonas interest in the left-hander and ultimately preferred Curtis Mead in the deal, a sign the Red Sox wanted a more established return than whatever package was on the table from Phoenix.
For Arizona, the bigger takeaway may be what it did not have to surrender in a deadline chase. Ryan Waldschmidt, the young bat who could have been the kind of prospect Boston covets in a deal like this, was not part of the public discussion, and that alone hints at how close the Diamondbacks may have come to a painful price tag. Whether they were ever truly in position to land Early is still the part left hanging. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks May Need To Take A Real Look At This Infielder
Arizonas infield depth chart has a way of turning up names that were easy to overlook a year ago, and this one fits that mold. The Diamondbacks pulled Danny Serretti from the Tigers in the AAA phase of the 2025 Rule 5 draft, a low-key move that barely registered at the time. After a rough run in Detroits farm system, he has looked far more comfortable in Arizonas minor league affiliates this season, showing a better feel at the plate and a more disciplined approach that has put him back on the radar.
What makes Serretti worth tracking now is that the offensive gains have come alongside a clearer defensive lane. He has mostly settled in at second base since joining the organization, giving the Diamondbacks a look at a player who is no longer trying to do too much or cover too much ground. For a club that always has to balance immediate roster needs with the next wave of depth, that kind of quiet development can matter, especially if the bat continues to trend in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]