After Tomoyuki Sugano kept doing what he’s been doing to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, Arizona is back in the familiar spot of needing the bats to carry their weight. The task is straightforward: wake up the offense, beat the Rockies in this series, and head out on the road with some momentum before a tougher stretch of games against more competitive opponents.
The bigger picture around the lineup is pretty simple. If the Diamondbacks are going to keep stacking wins, they need to get back to firing on all cylinders at the plate. Tuesday didn’t give them that, and now the pressure shifts to the next two games against a lowly Colorado club.
There’s also the ongoing injury situation, which has been part of the story all season. The Diamondbacks Injury Return Tracker is still exactly that - a tracker - and this writer is not holding his breath for any of those players to make any meaningful appearances this season until after they actually do so and are still healthy a week later.
One name to watch is Justin Martinez. Arizona is expecting a possible major boost from him on the road trip, and the key question is whether he can rediscover his command and control in time to matter in August and September. If there aren’t any more setbacks, the Diamondbacks could start getting an answer within the next week or so.
Around the league, there’s plenty else worth watching. One piece looks at which teams are built to be most dangerous in the playoffs, and Arizona is ranked competitively against the Dodgers in that discussion, even with Los Angeles adding Tarik Skubal at the deadline. Another examines 10 storylines that will shape the rest of the 2026 season, including the question of whether the Diamondbacks, sitting in the thick of the playoff race, are really a solid team or just getting by with smoke and mirrors.
There’s also a note on the Brewers, whose bullpen duo of Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe is being called the most underrated in MLB, with both expected to be central to Milwaukee’s October hopes. In Pittsburgh, Paul Skenes left after 65 pitches and a velocity drop, and there still aren’t any updates from the Bucs on that concerning development.
Elsewhere, Blake Snell struck out 10 in six innings in his return from injury, a sign he’s getting himself tuned up just in time to help bolster the Dodgers for the stretch run. And on the business side of the sport, MLB owners are set to vote next Monday on the Padres sale, with the league’s other 29 owners needing to approve the deal by a 22-vote threshold to finalize the transfer of majority control to José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones.
In Other News...
Diamondbacks Just Made A Bullpen Decision Fans Will Debate
Paul Sewalds run in Arizona ended with the kind of roster move that tends to stir up second-guessing later. The veteran right-hander, who went through a mixed 2026 season, was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks and is now headed to Toronto, where the Blue Jays are taking on the rest of his $1.5 million contract and bringing him into a bullpen that is dealing with multiple injuries.
For Arizona, the move leaves behind the familiar question of whether patience would have been the better play with a reliever who has logged plenty of big-league innings. For Toronto, it is a low-cost chance to add experience and flexibility, with Sewald expected to be used in a setup role rather than handed closing duties right away. [Read more 🡒]
Perdomos Return Gives Diamondbacks Offense A Needed Lift In Playoff Push
Geraldo Perdomo is back in the Diamondbacks lineup after a brief absence because of knee soreness, and his return comes at a time when every productive at-bat matters. Arizona is in the middle of a competitive National League postseason race, and Perdomos value goes beyond the box score because he can keep innings alive and help set the table for the hitters behind him.
For a lineup looking for more consistency, having Perdomo available again gives the Diamondbacks a steadier presence in the middle of the everyday mix. Even without any dramatic change to the roster, his ability to extend rallies and create pressure on opposing pitchers can make a noticeable difference as Arizona tries to stay in the thick of the playoff chase. [Read more 🡒]