The Arizona Diamondbacks concluded their recent homestand with a 3-3 record after series against the Minnesota Twins and the Oakland A’s. This keeps them two games below .500 and 2.5 games back from a National League Wild Card spot.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Diamondbacks were outscored by nine runs during the homestand, with all three of their losses coming by a margin of five runs or more.
In Will Leitch’s updated Power Rankings for MLB.com, the Diamondbacks fell from 14th to 18th. Leitch highlighted Zac Gallen’s return to the mound on Wednesday, where he threw six scoreless innings and allowed just one hit in Arizona’s 3-0 win over the A’s. “Zac Gallen missed almost the entire month of June with a hamstring strain, a month that turned out to be the D-backs’ best of the season so far. So his return on Saturday was particularly encouraging, not just because he was excellent against the A’s, throwing six scoreless innings, but because he did it for a team that didn’t fall out of the race while he was gone. In fact: Quite the opposite.”
At the halfway point of the season, here’s how the Diamondbacks rank among other teams:
- 9th in batting average
- 20th in stolen bases
- 20th in home runs
- 9th in runs scored
- 14th in SLG
- 29th in ERA
- 29th in strikeouts
While their offense has been average, their pitching has struggled significantly. Which is something you can expect when a team has spent a good amount of time without their three best arms- Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and Eduardo Rodriguez.
Elsewhere in Will Leitch’s Power Rankings, the Philadelphia Phillies took over the #1 spot, holding the best record in baseball. They are followed by the Orioles at #2, the Dodgers at #3, the Guardians at #4, and the Yankees at #5 to round out the top five.
Looking ahead, the Diamondbacks will begin a six-game road trip in California, facing the Dodgers and Padres. Over the next week and a half, the D-backs will compete against three different NL playoff-caliber teams, starting with a four-game series against the Atlanta Braves next week.
With 13 games remaining before the All-Star break in mid-July, the next few weeks are crucial for the Diamondbacks as they aim to maintain their record around the .500 mark while awaiting the return of key players from the IL.
