Arizona Diamondbacks 2024 Season Review: June

The D-backs came into June cold but left it scorching hot as they found their groove and racked up the wins

Jun 2, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) celebrates with teammates after hitting a two run home run during the to of the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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

For more context on the team's state heading into June, make sure to read our previous entry in this series HERE.

As the calendar flipped over to June, the D-backs were in dire straights having lost four in a row and at a season-low seven games under .500 with a record of 25-32. They needed to change their direction fast in hopes of taking advantage of an easier schedule in June.

They did just that in June when they started the month off with four straight wins over the Mets and Giants. This included Ketel Marte hitting a two-run 9th inning homer to put the D-backs ahead on Lou Gehrig Day against the Mets on June 2nd.

In fact, they went 7-3 over their first 10 games of the month against the Giants, Mets, Padres, and Angels. That stretch of strong play got them back to three games under .500 and set the stage for a big bounce-back month for the team.

Over the next nine games against the Angels, White Sox, Nationals, and Phillies, the D-backs went 6-3 to finally get back to a .500 record on June 21st with their win over Philadelphia in Citizen's Bank Park.

However, the Diamondbacks month took a sharp turn for the worse as they lost their next two games and five of their next six games against the Phillies, Twins, and Athletics. However, they rebounded for two huge wins over the A's to close out June.

Once June was over, the D-backs record in that month was 16-11 and was their first successful month of the season as numerous players began rounding into form and the bullpen was healthy and performing combined with Ketel Marte's MVP-level chase.

At the end of June, their overall season record was 41-43 as they made up five games to get just two under .500. They were 2.5 games out of a Wild Card position and had a -13 run differential.

This was the month that righted the ship for their season and propelled them to a terrific next two months of the season as they became one of the hottest teams in baseball.

Injuries and a Suspension

The Diamondbacks stayed relatively healthy in June as they saw numerous players get activated or go on rehab stints such as Alek Thomas and Luis Frias.

However, they saw two key players return from injuries. Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo returned from his torn meniscus on June 11th and he finished the season healthy.

Then, on June 29th, the D-backs got the return of their ace, Zac Gallen, who came back from hamstring tightness and pitched one of the best games of his career to end the month on an extremely high note.

They did see two players go on the Injured List. The most important one was catcher Gabriel Moreno who went on the 10-day IL with a sprained thumb after injuring it making a blocking catch behind the plate on a pitch. He would miss just the minimum 10 days.

Left-handed starting pitcher Blake Walston would go on the 15-day IL on June 6th with left elbow inflammation. It was a worrying injury that could've led to a worse outcome but he managed to get through it and returned healthy later in the season.

The eye-popping roster news in June was the one-year suspension of left-handed reliever Andrew Saalfrank. He was suspended by MLB for gambling on baseball earlier in his career as a minor leaguer years back. That was a startling revelation that removed a potentially impactful left-handed arm from the bullpen.

Player Stories

June was a standout month for then-closer Paul Sewald who obliterated opposing hitters. He recorded seven saves in 11 games and 9.2 innings with a perfect ERA of 0.00 and a FIP of 2.75. Opponents hit just .067 against him and he struck out eight with two walks.

Brandon Pfaadt was the workhorse of the starting rotation in June as he pitched six or more innings in five of his six starts. He saved the bullpen numerous times and the team went 4-2 in his starts despite him having an ERA of 4.50.

Kevin Ginkel continued to be one of Manager Torey Lovullo's best relievers in June as he pitched in 12 games with 12 innings and had an ERA of just 0.75 as he allowed just one run, eight hits, and struck out eight.

Utility infielder Kevin Newman had a month to remember in June as he filled in for Perdomo hitting .356 over 16 games with an OPS of .775.

June saw the beginning of Jake McCarthy's breakout season as he hit a strong .345 over 17 games with 20 hits and an OPS of .904. He had four triples in that span.

Another outfielder excelled in June and that was Lourdes Gurriel Jr. who had an OPS of .907 and hit .337. He had 32 hits in 25 games with three doubles, a triple, and five homers to go along with 17 RBI.

However, one can't talk about June and not mention Ketel Marte who carried the Arizona Diamondbacks offense. Over 25 games, he hit for a .341 average and had an otherworldly 1.069 OPS. He came up with clutch hit after clutch hit and racked up 31 hits.

He homered more than he doubled with seven homers against six doubles. He had 20 RBI, 20 runs, 15 walks, and struck out just 18 times. He was truly on fire and proved to the nation that he deserved to be the starter at second base for the All-Star Game in July.