Corbin Carroll Talks His Big Night, Diamondbacks' Hot Streak

The D-backs' young star spoke to reporters following his massive Saturday night performance.

Jul 13, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll (7) runs the bases after hitting a three run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the seventh inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

It's safe to posit that Corbin Carroll hasn't exactly been a dominant force for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2024.

Until last night.

On Saturday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Carroll's bat came to life, as he smashed two home runs, for a total of six RBI--a franchise record for a leadoff hitter.

His .316 slugging percentage jumped to .335, his OBP hit .300, and the D-backs were on their way to an overwhelming 12-1 victory, landing two games above .500 and ensuring that the club would enter the All-Star break with a winning record.

Although he remains hitting a modest .213, there have been signs of a resurgence in his bat, as he's been hitting the ball harder, although too often into outs. However, Saturday's game marked the eighth game in his last 11 that he's recorded a base hit, and his third multi-hit game of the month.

The ever-stoic Carroll spoke to reporters following his big night, addressing both his own big game, and the team's latest hot streak.

“We’ve been working really hard, and to see a couple swings pay off tonight, that’s great. Still think that there’s a lot of work to do," said Carroll, "makes it a little easier to keep moving forward when you see some results behind it. Keep attacking.”

The young speedster said that, although he'd been working heavily on his swing angle, he's begun trying a variety of new things, and that nights like last night help to confirm that his efforts are headed in the right direction.

But it's not just Carroll going full steam ahead. The Diamondbacks are playing good baseball. They're 49-47, just one game back of the New York Mets for the third Wild Card slot and tied with the San Diego Padres for second in the NL West.

They've won 10 of their last 14 games, and haven't lost a series since June 27th against the Minnesota Twins.

At the time of said Twins series, the three-game set with the A's ahead of them was the only manageable-looking series on the horizon for the snakes, and disappointment could easily have skyrocketed as they managed a mere 3-3 split over the homestand against Minnesota and Oakland.

A daunting road trip against the Dodgers and Padres laid ahead, before another tough opponent in the Atlanta Braves came to Phoenix. It wasn't unreasonable to assume the D-backs would struggle in that stretch.

But Arizona was two blown saves away from sweeping both California rivals, and a third away from taking three of four from the Braves. Even with the missed opportunities, the D-backs went 6-4 when they absolutely needed to keep their heads above water.

It's been at the least, impressive, and at the most, downright shocking. Even Carroll himself admitted he might not have expected this stretch of the season to go the way it had.

“Baseball,” Carroll said, with a laugh, when asked why it had managed to click for the D-backs during this portion of the season.

“That’s the thing, you go out there and you play the game that day, and you flip the script and move on to the next one," said Carroll, "I think we’ve just done a good job of that, and staying present, not looking too far ahead, and not getting too caught up in what’s already happened this year.”

“I think we all knew that we were capable of doing something like this, but to see it play out the way it has, it’s been pretty rewarding... Everyone just wants to keep this thing rolling," he said.

And it really has been "everyone." The D-backs are seeing offensive, defensive and pitching contributions from just about the entire squad, with some key slumping players like Carroll and third baseman Eugenio Suárez coming to life as the team buckles down.

“It just seems like everyone’s doing their part. There’s obviously been some guys getting real hot, Geno comes to mind. Seems like he’s hitting a homer every night right now...  it’s been great to have [Alek Thomas and Geraldo Perdomo] back as well. We hope to keep going,” Carroll said.

The first half of the season is nearing completion, with a somewhat easier slate of opponents ahead post All-Star break. Arizona's job certainly isn't done, and baseball is an unpredictable sport, but Carroll, and his team, seem energized and ready to finish the job.

“It feels great, obviously we’ve still got to play tomorrow, but when I think of coming back from the break, and think of a couple of our arms getting healthy, I’m really excited to attack the second half with these guys,” Carrol said.

“I think it’s just a testament to the guys we have in this clubhouse.”