The Diamondbacks’ patchwork rotation currently threatens to short-circuit their 2024 season. With their projected top three starters on the injured list, the team has had to rely on their depth guys to hold the fort. However, the team has not gotten consistent outings from the rotation in their last 12 games. Only four of the 11 starts, since one of those was a bullpen game, has a starting pitcher cleared the fifth inning.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“It’s a grind when your starting pitching gives you three, possibly four innings,” said Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo in the postgame broadcast following an 8-3 loss to the Angels. “It’s happened a couple turns now. We’re looking for some of these guys to step up, pitch deep into the game, take a little pressure and a little stress off our bullpen, and start to maneuver the way that we can.”
Consistent length and quality outings have been hard to come by. What was considered a strength for the team entering the season has now become their fatal flaw with three injuries. The Diamondbacks have won games in which their starting pitcher has given them a chance. Since May 31, they’ve had six games where the starting pitcher has allowed four earned runs or less. They’ve won all six. In the games they’ve lost, the starting pitcher allowed at least five runs.
Brandon Pfaadt has been the Diamondbacks’ most consistent starter in this current iteration. He has pitched at least five innings in all 13 of his starts this season, but even he has been giving up runs of late. In his last three starts, Pfaadt has allowed at least four runs. That comes after rattling off five consecutive quality starts. Jordan Montgomery righted the ship in his last start, allowing just three runs in 5 2/3 innings in a game the Diamondbacks turned into a laugher late. The veteran left-hander has provided relatively competitive starts throughout the year.
The fate of the rotation over the next two weeks lies at the feet of Slade Cecconi, Ryne Nelson, and Tommy Henry. Zac Gallen is still at least two turns through the rotation away from pitching on a big league mound, as he’ll throw a bullpen on Friday and then at least one simulated game before returning. There’s no defined timeline for when Merrill Kelly and Eduardo RodrÃguez will return from their respective shoulder injuries. That means there will be a runway for some of these young pitchers to prove themselves.
“I’ve been saying that since opening week,” said Lovullo. “We know that guys are banged up, it’s an incredible opportunity for some of our young pitchers to show us what they can do. We’ve seen it in spurts, and that’s what spoils us, we just want it to be consistent. We want guys to land all of their pitches, follow a game plan, and not back down.”
If there is any hope of the Diamondbacks turning it around this season, it starts with better performances in the starting rotation. In a Wild Card race with very little separation, a strong run at any point in the season puts them in a good position to land a postseason spot.
Can the 2024 Diamondbacks survive with a patchwork rotation?
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
