Where are the Answerbacks?

The Diamondbacks made a name for themselves last year by frequently coming from behind. That trait has been almost nonexistent in 2024.

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Over the first half of 2023 the Diamondbacks racked up over a dozen wins in games in which they trailed by two runs or more at any point the game. That kind of comeback ability earned them the nickname "The Answerbacks."

While a mid-season slump slowed that pace down, they picked it up again late and of course made a postseason run for the ages before finally losing the World Series. They ended the season with a 20-67 record in games they trailed by two runs or more. That ranked 13th in wins, and 14th in Win %.

In 2024 the Diamondbacks are 1-23 in such games. Friday night against the Marlins they once again could not respond. With ace Zac Gallen on the mound, they went down early into a 2-0 hole in the second inning, and a solo homer by Jake Burger in the fourth inning made it 3-0.

That deficit effectively ended the game. Marlins starter Braxton Garrett threw a nine inning complete game shutout. The D-backs managed just four singles and Garrett retired the last 14 batters he faced. He needed just 95 pitches, 71 of which were strikes to complete the game in a D-backs season low one hour and 58 minutes.

Gallen grinded his way through his outing, and managed to complete seven innings giving up just the three runs. He didn't really have the feel for his curveball and gave up a lot of hard contract throughout the night. But he did his job and kept his team in the game. The lineup simply couldn't respond.

The inability to come back wasn't the only trend that has emerged. The D-backs are now 3-14 in the first game of a series and 1-6 in the game after an off day. Lovullo had already discussed that trend of losing games after an off day in his pregame press conference. He was asked about it after this game.

"We're aware of it. That's our job. The trends and habits, we've got to pay attention to them and stay ahead of it as coaches. Sometimes we don't. But I mentioned it because it's something that is there."

This issue was first called to Lovullo's attention by bench coach Jeff Bannister, who Lovullo credited for always being way out ahead of things and having the ability to see the big picture. There haven't been any big changes however. Lovullo said they have the same kind of intensity in their workouts whether they have an off day or not.

When asked about the 1-23 record when down by multiple runs, Lovullo was not aware of that statistic needed to think about it a moment.

"My knee jerk reaction is just full engagement at all times. This team early on in the season there are some new pieces to the puzzle and we've had some injuries. I'm not using that as an excuse. We're just still kind of posturing and figuring out our identity. It's getting better and we're starting to get a feel for who we are how to win baseball games."

There have been signs the team is getting better of course. The series victory in Los Angeles being case in point. However there is an old adage in baseball that momentum only lasts as long as the next day's starting pitcher. In this game they ran into a pitcher on top of his game and had no answers.

The inability to come back when down a couple of runs, and the lack of victories after off days and first games of series could be endemic. Or they could just be an oddity of happenstance. The team is 51 games into the season with a 24-27 record.

So far they bear little resemblance to the team that jumped out to 16 games over .500 at one point last year or the postseason team that made it all the way to the World Series. There is still time to find their identity however, an identity that is characterized by the ability to claw their way back into games.