Breaking Down D-backs Defensive Problems on Friday

The Diamondbacks' defense faltered in a critical series opener against the Padres. What happened?

Arizona Diamondbacks second base Ketel Marte (4) fields a ground ball on Sept. 15, 2024 at Chase Field in Phoenix. / Owen Ziliak/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Arizona Diamondbacks dropped an important game to the Padres on Friday night, placing them in a tie with the Braves and Mets.

Normally it's obvious why a team loses. If there were no runs scored, the offense usually collapsed. If the pitching gives up too many runs for the bats to keep up with, the pitching is likely what caused the loss, but in Friday's ballgame, you would not be alone in looking at the defense after a tough loss.

The Diamondbacks are known for their defense. They have one of the most young and athletic clubs in baseball, and tend to play steady and clean defense more often than not.

This comes from an experienced infield that is very situationally aware and an outfield that can run and catch almost every ball that gets hit. This wasn't the case in the series opener against the Padres.

Things began with Ketel Marte. He is the Diamondbacks' undisputed MVP and a pillar in the infield. His second base defense has been very solid throughout 2024, clocking in at 7 Outs Above Average and 6 Fielding Runs Value, according to Baseball Savant.

Still, Marte made two huge misplays in the first inning that led to 4 Padres runs scoring.

When speaking postgame with Arizona Diamondbacks ON SI's Jack Sommers, Marte was asked about his defensive miscues. The first, a costly whiff on a potential double play ball that would have ended the inning.

"It's not an easy play." said Marte, "Those types of grounders are uncomfortable, and I tried to make a swipe at it, but I couldn't make the play."

The play would not go down as an error but it would end up setting the club back by a run and continuing the inning. If the blunders had stopped there it likely would have been forgotten by the end of the half, but things seemed to snowball.

"The difference was that the hit was to the glove side. It wasn't down the middle. If it's down the middle I'd play it on a hop, but it was off to the side. I couldn't extend the glove."

With still only one out in the inning a tailor-made double play ball was hit to Geraldo Perdomo. He passed it to Marte for the first out, but some slight hesitation and what looked like a bad grip on the ball led to an errant throw over first baseman Christian Walker's head.

"I feel like by how the ball came out of his hand that he didn't have a great grip on it," said Lovullo who came to Marte's defense after the game. "I want to protect him and tell everybody how good of a defender he is. That's a tough play, and I want to make sure everybody knows that's a tough play, and that he is a very very good second baseman."

The numbers back up Lovullo on this. Marte has been excellent on the field in every way this year. Still, the poor defense cost the team significantly, and Marte wasn't the only one.

Torey Lovullo and the Diamondbacks opted to play Pavin Smith in right field on Friday which was a solid decision. Smith has been one of the hottest bats in the lineup over the last month, hitting another massive home run in the team's win over San Francisco on Wednesday.

One thing that has not been quite as hot has been Smith's defense. Often filling more of a DH or in a backup first baseman role, the left-hander certainly isn't a stranger to the outfield. His defense hasn't been great, at -1 OAA and Fielding Run Value, but his bat allows for him to fill in.

Smith was not much of a factor in Friday's ballgame, but his defense came into question multiple times, as he was unable to reach multiple balls that landed between him and Corbin Carroll in right center field.

Fans were obviously distraught, as the normal outfield alignment would feature the much more fleet of foot Jake McCarthy in center field, moving the incredibly fast Corbin Carroll to right, likely giving the team a better chance at catching those fly balls.

Manager Torey Lovullo was asked about Smith's defense, and about the risk-reward factor of playing him in the outfield to bring his bat into the lineup. "You are talking about two elite defenders in Jake McCarthy and Corbin Carroll out there. They run down a lot of balls. Pavin is a good defender, he just isn't as athletic as the other two."

Lovullo was looking for someone to drive a ball, and to spark the offense. The move didn't end up paying off in this game, but the process behind it was solid, and had the move shaken out well, it would likely be looked back on in a much different light.

The plays happened as they did, and the Diamondbacks are looking to move forward, and will be back out at Chase Field, desperately focused on climbing into a Wild Card spot. They are not clear of the Mets or Braves, and will need to win their last two games to make a playoff berth plausible.

The Diamondbacks take on the Padres on Saturday at 5:10 p.m. Arizona time. A loss would be devastating to the club, as they rally behind Eduardo Rodriguez to further their playoff hopes. Stay tuned to all things Arizona Diamondbacks ON SI for further coverage.