The Diamondbacks are coming off perhaps the best six-game stretch of their season. Going through Dodger Stadium and Petco Park, Arizona went 4-2 and won both series. Not only did they outplay both teams for the majority of the series, but they had a ninth-inning lead in all six games. With how difficult intradivision series are, especially on the road, defeating both teams is impressive.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!One of the best parts of that road trip is the Diamondbacks didn’t need their usual formula to win games. In fact, the starting pitching wasn’t particularly good until the trip’s final game. Ryne Nelson was the only pitcher who went five or more innings in his outings, although Brandon Pfaadt was well on his way to a deep start before having to leave with an injury. In the month of June, the team had to ride or die with their starting pitching and couldn’t overcome a poor start.
Nelson has really stepped up of late to provide some solid starts for the team over the past six weeks. In his last eight games, which consists of seven starts and a bulk relief appearance, he’s pitched to a 4.54 ERA/4.37 FIP in 45 1/3 innings. While his overall numbers down that stretch don’t jump off the page, he’s been able to go six innings in five of those seven starts. Consistently provided that type of length has added some stability to a rotation missing some of their top starters.
The road trip also included a tough stretch of games for closer Paul Sewald. Previously automatic whenever he got a ninth-inning lead, he stumbled in back-to-back games. Perhaps it was a result of a demanding workload that caught up to the veteran closer, but he was anything but sharp against the Padres. For most teams, seeing their closer get walked off in the first game of the series can be demoralizing, but in both series, the Diamondbacks responded well to that adversity.
Eugenio Suárez, who struggles have been a focal point this season, has also stepped it up on the road trip. In all six games played, Suárez went 8-for-19 with three doubles, a home run, seven RBI, and five walks. He’s hit safely in eight of his last 11 starts and has looked like the player the team thought they were acquiring in the offseason. With his bat starting to turn around, that’s one less problem for the Diamondbacks to have to deal with. Instead they can focus on upgrading their pitching staff, which ranks near the bottom of the league in ERA.
Another sign of life was the team’s ability to score runs late in the game. In their last six games, the Diamondbacks scored 28 runs in the seventh inning or later. In their first 84 games of the season, they scored just 109 runs. Their inability to score late in games was a problem earlier in the season, leading to them losing games they should have won with a tack-on run or two.
With the offense finally healthy and clicking, a bullpen that’s getting better and more consistent with each passing week, and a little bit more stability in the starting rotation, the Diamondbacks have won each of their past three series. They still have their work cut out for them, with the Braves coming into town next. In the second half of July, they’ll have a chance to separate from the pack in the Wild Card chase and cement their potential position as buyers come at the trade deadline.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
