Draining Arizona

Well, what a torrid two weeks the Diamondbacks have had.

They lose their surging outfielder AJ Pollock to injuries, their star first baseman, Paul Goldschmidt, is having his worst season to date, their 2nd starter, Robbie Ray, is injured, and the momentum the team had for most of April has been completely wasted. The Rockies are now in first, and the Diamondbacks, while close enough behind, might need to do a ton more work in order to stay afloat.

Perhaps the biggest problem was the fact that the lineup wasn't exactly pristine to begin with. Yes, David Peralta and Jake Lamb are giving some fine stuff, but the rest of the lineup consists of a bunch of people batting below .200, and this includes veterans like Chris Owings, Jarrod Dyson, and Alex Avila. And...sadly, Paul Goldschmidt, who is not hitting for average, and who might not have recovered from a late 2017 injury. Even bench players like Daniel Descalso aren't helping.

Thankfully, the pitching staff is still in nice enough shape. Zack Greinke is still the ace, and he's still giving Grade A material, along with a still-sturdy Patrick Corbin and consistent Zack Godley. Some experiments have been working, though, as Matt Koch has worked well as a late-rotation replacement, and somehow Clay Buchholz is back from the dead as a fifth starter. Heck, even the bullpen is in pretty great shape. So, the main problem is the general inconsistency of the lineup, and it's been costing them lately. A ton of these losses haven't been blowouts- they've just been games where the pitching gave up some runs and the hitters couldn't exactly catch up. It's not a HORRIBLE conundrum to be in, but it's not pristine either.

The Diamondbacks may need to figure out a solution that doesn't involve waiting for 2 people to get off the DL. Perhaps there's someone waiting in the minors who can save this team? Or perhaps it's not worth saving.

Coming Tomorrow- Another fairly-put-together pitcher, only this one's pitching for one of the worst teams in the AL.