Arizona Diamondbacks 2024 Season Review: August

The D-backs came into August hot and stayed scorching as they overcame multiple injuries to keep winning and saw two key players return

Aug 9, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Adrian Del Castillo (25) celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk off solo home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the ninth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

This is the seventh part of an eight-part series breaking down the Arizona Diamondbacks' 2024 season.

For more context on the team's state heading into August, read our previous entry in this series HERE

July was an excellent month for this ballclub and they had plenty of momentum as the month flipped into August. They entered August with a 58-51 record, seven games over .500. They had the third Wild Card spot and were a 1/2 game up on the Mets.

The goal of August was to maintain their excellent hot streak and to continue to hold a spot in the Wild Card trio of teams while staying healthy and getting their injured pitchers back. Three of those four goals would come true by the end of the month.

They started the month in Pittsburgh with Josh Bell making his team debut in place of the injured Christian Walker. All he did was homer from both sides of the plate as the team hit three homers in a row in the first inning. They wound up taking two of three that series.

Then, their road trip shifted to Cleveland where they would lose Gabriel Moreno to injury but manage to sweep the Guardians over three games, including a doubleheader. This saw Adrian Del Castillo make his MLB debut and showcase his batting skills.

Eduardo Rodriguez returned from injury to make his first start all season and managed to pitch 5.2 innings and give up three runs, a solid return. The 244 day wait was worth it.

Shifting back home, the D-backs lost the first game of a four-game NLCS rematch series against the Phillies before winning the next three games in a row. This series included a walk-off home run by Del Castillo and two blowouts by a combined score of 23-6.

However, on Saturday, August 10, tragedy would strike the D-backs as Ketel Marte suffered an ankle injury from an awful slide attempt by Garrett Stubbs. This left a major hole for the team to pick up.

Despite the injury, on August 11, they saw the return of co-ace starting pitcher Merrill Kelly. He made his first start since late-April and it was a good one. He pitched five innings and gave up two runs.

Following the Phillies series, the D-backs weren't done winning despite losing Marte to injury after he tried to come back too soon. They swept the Colorado Rockies in a three-game set to make it six wins in a row.

They went to Tampa Bay for Player's Weekend where they struggled mightily and fell in all three games to the Rays. The bullpen and starting pitchers struggled throughout the series aside from Ryne Nelson and the offense failed to come up with late-game clutch hits.

It seemed that they might be heading into a downward trend especially after Marte tried once again to come back from injury too soon and wound up needing to go on the Injured List because he just wasn't healed up enough.

The D-backs bounced back quickly in their next series in Miami as they swept the Marlins, including seeing Del Castillo perform in front of his family and hitting a grand slam. From there, they went into Boston and swept them too, showing hardly any of the same issues from the Rays series.

However, the final two series of the month would be tough and foreshadowing for Arizona and their playoff hopes. They dropped two of three against the Mets, handing the Mets the season tiebreaker in the process. That turned out to be a critical blow to their playoff hopes.

Then, they would end August losing two in a row to the Dodgers, ending any faint chance of contending for the NL West crown. The D-backs lost four of their final five games in what set up a tough month of September.

Over August, the Diamondbacks went 18-9 and increased their record to 76-60, 16 games over .500 and looked like playoff locks.

Injuries

Similar to the other months of the season, the Diamondbacks suffered numerous crucial injuries but also saw two key starting pitchers make their return from the IL.

Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez and right-hander Merrill Kelly returned from the IL to bolster the starting rotation and give Arizona a shot at making the playoffs. How they pitched in the final six weeks went a long way toward determining their playoff hopes.

The team lost key reliever Bryce Jarvis to an elbow sprain in his right arm early in August. This ended his season, as he would be placed on the 60-Day IL a few days later.

A couple of days later on August 6th, Gabriel Moreno suffered a left adductor strain that kept him out not only for the rest of August but half of September too. This was a major loss for the team's pitching staff and for the lineup.

Ketel Marte was finally be placed on the 10-Day IL on August 19th with a high ankle sprain that kept him out until early September. One day later, the team signed infielder Luis Guillorme to replace Marte.

They also Designated for Assignment Luis Frias during the month. He wound up being claimed by the Toronto Blue Jays where he finished the season.

Player Stories

Eugenio Suarez re-discovered his hitting stroke as he hit .260 with five homers and 24 RBI to go with an OPS of .782 over 27 games.

Jake McCarthy continued to stay hot in August over 27 games as he hit .311 and had a .864 OPS to go with numerous clutch hits.

Joc Pederson had another standout month as he hit .294 but slugged .588 for 1 .055 OPS with 20 hits, six homers, 16 RBI, and 17 walks in just 25 games.

Rookie catcher Adrian Del Castillo quickly found a home in Arizona and impressed fans as he hit .321 with a .928 OPS in just 17 games. He had two doubles, three homers, 14 RBI, and seven walks. It was an impressive first month in the desert to start his career.

The biggest story was Corbin Carroll who re-founded his stroke at the plate as he hit .280 and slugged an eye-popping .700 for an OPS of 1.042. Over 27 games, he had 30 runs, 28 hits, four triples, 11 homers, 24 RBI, and 10 walks. He won player of the month for his efforts.

For the pitchers, Ryne Nelson continued his breakout year as he allowed two runs or fewer in four of his five starts and had an ERA of 3.19 and a 3.62 FIP over 31 innings.

Three relievers had terrific Augusts. Kevin Ginkel, Justin Martinez, and AJ Puk. Ginkel had a 1.93 ERA over 14 innings. Martinez had a 1.88 ERA over 14.1 innings. Puk had a measly 0.77 ERA over 11.2 innings.