Since July 9th, the Arizona Diamondbacks are 19-11, and have reclaimed 2nd place. They're now 9 games back from the Dodgers, which still isn't ideal but it's a lot closer than it was. And they're currently riding another incredible run from Corbin Carroll, who just hit the 100th home run of his career. Slowly, and carefully, the D-Backs are making things happen this year.
The winning formula is flanked by the usual core of dominators [Carroll, Ketel Marte, Gabriel Moreno, Geraldo Perdomo], plus the addition of Nolan Arenado, who still has some tricks up his sleeve [and 18 homers too], and Ryan Waldschmidt, who's now hitting .285 as a deep lineup guy. Perdomo last year shocked the nation with a league-leading 7.1 WAR season, thanks to a surprise 100-RBI showing, 20 homers, 27 steals, 173 hits, an .851 OPS and a .290 average. This placed him 4th in the MVP voting. Many people wrote Perdomo off as a defense-heavy utility piece, but when everything lines up he can be a scarily accurate mid-lineup bat with some awesome perks. 2026 isn't quite as huge as 2025 for the shortstop, but he's still got 9 homers, 42 RBIs, 17 steals and a 3.7 WAR thanks to continued dominance at short. He's one of those pieces you need to make the rest of the team better, someone who can do it all without being flashy. Corbin Carroll is the multifaceted type that's more front-facing and gets the job done, while Perdomo is the more under the radar provider. Both work, along with Tyler Locklear's long-awaited audition for a starting 1st base job, Lars Nootbaar adjusting to his new surroundings, and James McCann still hitting .290 and playing catcher at 36.
The rotation is also evolving forward, as something that once looked so cursed now looks better than it has in a while. Eddie Rodriguez is a rock up top, we knew that, he's 11-4 with a 4.3 ERA, he's great. Now everybody else has caught up. Michael Soroka is healthy again, still has a 3 ERA and is 8-3. Brandon Pfaadt has reclaimed his mojo, and has a 3.36 ERA and 6 wins in 21 games. Mitch Bratt has finally adjusted to MLB play, and has a 3.74 ERA with 25 Ks in 7 starts. Zack Littell's talents are being used in long relief, and that's going a lot better for him. Merrill Kelly's getting his ERA back down and attempting to save his season. Eventually Corbin Burnes is going to return for the October push and nobody's gonna be prepared for how good the D-Backs will look at that point. The team WAS lacking in a solid ninth inning choice, but Brandyn Garcia seems to have taken that mantle, he's their go-to closer now, has 3 saves and a 2.18 ERA with 36 Ks. Very healthy sort of relief piece to have around.
Look, I'm not entirely sure how the D-Backs fit into the larger wild card picture, I see the Phillies falling, the Cardinals rising, and the D-Backs should just keep pedaling how they've been pedaling before. They've fallen just short of competition the past few years, and now they've got a winning formula, they just need to hang on, as the Phillies, Padres and even the Marlins, Nats and Pirates all won't go down without a fight.
Coming Tonight: One of the best closers in baseball. Shame about the rest of the team, though.







