Eugenio Suarez records milestone home run in big weekend for the Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks season may have turned around their season with back-to-back wins over the New York Mets. Struggling to plate runs in their previous six games, the they erupted for 24 runs in the final three games against the Mets and forced a series split. As the Diamondbacks begin two critical series that could define their season, we take a look at some of the team’s under-the-radar stories over the weekend.

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Eugenio Suárez collects 250th home run

Eugenio Suárez recorded a milestone home run in Saturday’s loss. Stuck on 249 career home runs since May 8, Suárez had hit .177 over the next 19 games. In the sixth inning, he was able to lift a fly ball that barely cleared the right field wall at Citi Field to nail the milestone home run.

It’s been a tough season for the 32-year-old third baseman. Brought in to provide right-handed thump in the middle of the order, he has struggled to make consistent contributions to the lineup. Suárez is putting up a .205/.270/.312 slash line with four home runs in 59 games in 2024.

Geraldo Perdomo starts rehab

Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo has begun his rehab assignment at the complex. In two games, he is 1-for-7 with three strikeouts and an RBI groundout. While stats don’t necessarily matter, it sets a clock for when the former All-Star could return to the field.

Following another game Monday, the plan will be to move Perdomo to Triple-A Reno to complete his rehab assignment. He is recovering from surgery on April 8 to address a torn meniscus. He should be back before the series against the Los Angeles Angels on June 10, which would mark nine weeks since surgery.

Brandon Pfaadt’s consistency keeps the Diamondbacks’ rotation afloat

One of the most underrated storylines with the starting rotation has been the performance from right-hander Brandon Pfaadt. After struggling in his first year in the big leagues, he has quickly become an innings-eating horse for them. Pfaadt enters play on June 3 tied with Michael King for seventh in the National League in innings pitched. While the run prevention results have been mediocre with a 4.32 ERA, his strong peripherals suggest he’s been pitching better than that.

The Diamondbacks have lost their top three starting pitchers to injury this season. Eduardo Rodríguez has not thrown a pitch this season and Merrill Kelly was limited to four starts before going down. Zac Gallen lasted 12 starts before his hamstring issues caught up to him, although he’s likely to come off the injured list first of the three. The team has had to rely on Tommy Henry, Blake Walston, Ryne Nelson, and Slade Cecconi to fill in some starts, with inconsistent results at best.

Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell illustrate the importance of Spring Training

One of the biggest offseason storylines was how long would Scott Boras clients be willing to sit before signing a deal. Two pitchers who waited until well into March to sign are left-handers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery. Both pitchers have gotten off to pretty slow starts. Montgomery has a 5.48 ERA in eight starts and Snell has a 9.51 ERA, having to leave his most recent start to a groin injury.

After his start on May 25, Montgomery said that he used to hate Spring Training, but developed a newfound appreciation for it after the slow buildup this season after signing on March 29.

After a slow start by his standards, Jordan Montgomery said that he's starting to feel more like himself out there.

"I used to hate spring training. Now I'm like, I love spring training." pic.twitter.com/H2NS09Lejg

— PHNX Diamondbacks (@PHNX_Dbacks) May 26, 2024