The next two weeks could determine the direction the 2024 Diamondbacks will go. Over that stretch, they will face the Cincinnati Reds twice, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Detroit Tigers. The Reds and Tigers are close to .500, with records of 16-18 and 18-16 respectively, while the Orioles lead the American League with a 23-11 record. It’s safe to say they have their work cut out as they try to stay afloat in the National League playoff picture.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!To give themselves the best chance, they’ll need to win both series against the Reds, to give themselves a tiebreaker in the standings should both teams finish with the same record. The Orioles will serve as a test to see if they can compete with the top team in the AL. The Diamondbacks are 1-5 against the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers, the two teams with the best records last season, although they should have taken two games in Atlanta last month. The final series against the Tigers, a team that has gone on a similar path to the 2022-2023 Diamondbacks, will test their ability to dispatch a young, hungry team.
The team will get reinforcements at the start of the road trip, as closer Paul Sewald and center fielder Alek Thomas are expected to return to the club. Sewald already has his bags packed for the trip and is excited to be back on a major league mound again after his first career stint on the injured list due to a left oblique strain. Thomas played three rehab games with Triple-A Reno, with one start in center field, going 3-for-12 at the plate with a double and five RBI.
As for what things need to be seen in this stretch, the quality of play must also improve. It starts with having more consistent at-bats at the plate, something manager Torey Lovullo has harped on in multiple postgame sessions this week. They’ll need Corbin Carroll, who is slowly working out of the deepest slump of his career, to start getting hot at the plate. He’s starting to heat up, as he’s batting .273 with a double in his past six games. There are more hits and line drives to his pull side, an encouraging sign for the Diamondbacks superstar outfielder. Getting Carroll’s bat started impacts the entire lineup, as he is the face of the team’s offensive identity.
In addition, the bullpen will have to do a better job of keeping games close. With Sewald back, there are no excuses left they continue to struggle. The hope is, like last year, that having an established closer at the end of the bullpen will allow guys to settle into more comfortable roles. Kevin Ginkel returns to being the primary bridge to Sewald and Ryan Thompson gets bumped back an inning.
The Diamondbacks have struggled to get consistent outings from the second layer of the bullpen. That unit has been beseeched with injuries, with Miguel Castro, Luis FrÃas, and Kyle Nelson on the injured list. Nelson is out for the remainder of the season, as he’s set to have surgery to treat thoracic outlet syndrome. Joe Mantiply and Bryce Jarvis have had a mixed bag, although more positive outings than negative on the season.
The Diamondbacks must navigate this stretch with at least a winning record, which means at least seven wins. If they can stay afloat, it’s an encouraging sign that the team could start turning it around. However, if the team continues to lose games at the current clip, then it’s looking more likely the team will be hard sellers at the trade deadline.
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Michael McDermott is the lead writer covering the Arizona Diamondbacks for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
