Throughout their recent five-game losing streak, the Arizona Diamondbacks have mustered only a single run in the final 7-8-9 innings of each loss.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!This totals to one run over 15 critical innings.
Given their reputation for late-game comebacks last season, earning them the nickname “answerbacks,” this start is far from what Arizona fans had anticipated.
Remarkably, not one player with at least 20 at-bats has managed a batting average of .300 or better in the season’s first 11 games.
But how do the Diamondbacks‘ struggles in the final three innings stack up against the rest of the league this season?
According to data shared by @dfeely14 on X, Arizona has the lowest batting average (.121), SLG (.187), and the second-lowest OPS (.451) in these late-game situations.
DBacks team-hitting ranks in the 7th inning & later
.121 AVG (Worst in MLB)
.187 SLG (Worst in MLB)
.451 OPS (2nd Worst in MLB)The bullpen hasn't been able to hold leads BUT the lineup has not done there part late in games either
— Dalton Feely (@dfeely14) April 9, 2024
While some of the team’s struggles can be attributed to injuries, with players like Alek Thomas and Geraldo Perdomo out, this early-season trend is undoubtedly not how the Diamondbacks envisioned starting their 2024 campaign.
