D-backs On Pace For Worst Month Since 2021 Season
The Diamondbacks (55-49) find themselves in their worst slide of their season. Since reaching a season-best 16 games over .500 on July 1st, the team struggled. They have only won five of their last 20 games as a combination of a slumping offense, struggling rotation, and one of the worst bullpens in baseball have done them in. With a 6-15 record, a .286 winning percentage, the D-backs are on pace to have their worst month under manager Torey Lovullo outside of the 2021 season.
Despite that the season is not lost, as they are only a game out of the final National League Wild Card spot entering play with an opportunity to make up some ground in the final two months. The faster they get off this skid, the better their chances are at making a surprise run at the playoffs.
Lovullo was asked about trying to shake things up in situations like this:
"Sometimes I get blinders on and I need get a little bit more perspective. I've been on the search for that answer, to get outside my comfort zone, the things I believe in, the things I stand on that I know that work without doing anything completely crazy and outlandish. It's my responsibility to shake things up at times. I'm trying to figure out that combination, I think sometimes there's strength in the stability of what is working."
Lovullo was then asked about who he leans on for advice:
"I've probably relied more on people inside of this industry, some of my mentors, and they're fantastic leaders and they've won World Championships. You'd be surprised at some of the answers. I don't think a lot of people necessarily believe in the shakeup. A lot of the answers are just stand on the foundation and just keep teaching and keep plowing, you'll come out on the other end but don't do anything crazy. That's what the answers are inside of this industry, believe it or not."
Things won't get much easier, as they play the Seattle Mariners (53-50) for the second game of this weekend series at Chase Field. In a battle of two rookie right-handers, Bryan Woo will square off against Brandon Pfaadt, first pitch at 6:40pm MST.
Evan Longoria tweaked his back taking ground balls yesterday. The veteran third baseman was placed on the 10-day injured list today, with infielder Josh Rojas recalled from Triple-A Reno. Lovullo stated they didn't have the roster flexibility to wait a few days for Longoria to rest up. Rojas was optioned on June 19th after hitting .235 in his first 57 games with Arizona.
Pitching Matchup
Pfaadt entered the season as the organization's consensus top pitching prospect, but the performance over his first seven starts has not matched his Top 100 rankings. The main issue for Pfaadt is his inability to be able to get fastballs by hitters at the major league level. MLB hitters are batting .348 with six home runs against his four-seamer this season. While he has solid secondary pitches, the lack of a playable fastball in MLB when he can't paint the corners of the zone threatens to cap his ceiling as a starting pitcher.
In his most recent start, Pfaadt moved towards the first base side of the rubber. That proved to be effective as he generated more swings and misses on his secondary pitches against the Reds. However that got scuttled when allowing three consecutive solo home runs in a 7-3 loss. Home runs have been a huge issue in his career, with 12 homers in 31 2/3 innings.
Bryan Woo was a sixth round selection in the 2021 draft out of Cal Poly and quickly worked his way to the big leagues. He debuted on June 3rd this year and has made nine starts. Despite pretty solid strikeout and walk rates, he's been susceptible to the long ball with eight allowed in 44 innings. His upside is viewed more as a back of the rotation (No. 4 or 5) starter. Woo features a mid 90s fastball that he can move around the strike zone, then complements it with a slider and changeup. None of Arizona hitters have faced him yet.
Lineups
Michael McDermott
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is out of the lineup today, as rookie outfielder Dominic Canzone gets his second consecutive start as the designated hitter while Arizona goes with its best defensive outfield lineup. Canzone is hitting .292 (7-for-24) with two doubles, a home run, and an .846 OPS when in the starting lineup.
Seattle is deploying a much different lineup compared to yesterday, as left-handed bats Cade Marlowe and Kolten Wong will start against a right-handed starter after pinch-hitting last night.
