And For My Next Trick...

 

I just talked about how the Rangers are nowhere near the menace they were last year, the kind that made them a surprise World Series team. But the Diamondbacks, the team they beat to deliver the championship, have been trying a similar strategy to last season, and it's kind of been working. Obviously not all of the pieces of the 2023 team are there, as Merrill Kelly's hurt, Christian Walker just hit the IL and Andrew Saalfrank is...likely never gonna be allowed to pitch again, but pretty much everybody else is, and they're all surging.

One of the main points of concern this season for the D-Backs was Corbin Carroll, and how opposing defenses just kinda figured him out. Carroll has picked up speed a tiny bit, and at the very least has 39 RBIs and 20 steals. I chalk this up to a sophomore slump of the highest order, and I'm not counting him out entirely yet. Pretty much everyone else who made the 2023 lineup a force is doing well right now. Ketel Marte is hot, he's notched a 25-homer year while hitting .300, that's a very good thing. Geraldo Perdomo and Gabriel Moreno are both hitting well after slow starts. Eugenio Suarez had a nice July, hitting .333 with 10 homers and 27 RBIs last month; hopefully that means he's ready for the bigger months of the year. And now we're seeing Jake McCarthy hit full throttle, he's hitting .294 with 72 hits in 90 games. 

Nobody here is solely here for power, as there's a lot of very versatile, I-can-do-contact-as-well types [Gurriel, Walker, Pederson] who have helped the cause tremendously. And yes, while Christian Walker being down is slightly worrisome, I think Josh Bell will fill the void pretty amicably. Dude just needs time to get hot, maybe he needed a change of scenery after all. 

The Diamondbacks have also, even without Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez, found some rotation depth without needing to make additions. It's as simple as just...waiting for Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson find their sweet spots. Nelson's had a lot of really nice starts lately, and Pfaadt's got his ERA below 4. Montgomery and Cecconi are still troublesome, but I'm not worried for them entirely yet. I mean, Montgomery overworked himself last year and this season is the result, so his arm will eventually get back to where it was. It just might take time. 

The D-Backs are a game behind the Padres for 2nd place, and they're firmly embedded within the wild card race, which is just where they want to be. Unfortunately, like last year, the wild card race is jam packed with 5 other teams within a game or so of each other, and 3 others that could be late spoilers. To stay alive in this particular playoff chase, the Diamondbacks need to channel whatever kept them alive late last September, and hope it works again. Honestly, they might have a better shot to make the playoffs than the Rangers, and they need to power through this month, including series' against the Phillies, Mets and Dodgers, to land on their feet.

Coming Tonight: He went from one competitor to another before the season, and now is probably wishing he was where he was last year.