SAN DIEGO — The Arizona Diamondbacks did not change the identity of their team last summer via trade.
They spent the first half playing .500 ball and wound up performing like the top team in the league for several weeks once July began. That transformation occured pre trade deadline, and while deals for A.J. Puk and Josh Bell helped, internal improvements and contributors returning from injury made the biggest difference.
They played well going into the All-Star break (4-1) and built on that trend with eight straight series wins after coming back.
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Presently, the Diamondbacks have the same record as they held a year ago, but this team has different challenges ahead. The bullpen is decimated by injuries to an extreme, the National League is more competitive and the vision to buy at the deadline appears blurrier. They also roster more obvious trade targets on expiring deals.
General manager Mike Hazen said there is no record he’s looking for when it comes to decision time at the trade deadline. A .500 record in the NL means a lot less than the AL at this point.
Where the D-backs are in the race will obviously be a primary factor, as well as the direction the team is headed on the field.
“I want to see us playing our best baseball and moving in a direction where we have confidence this team’s gonna be able to, because it’s not just about the deadline,” Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Wednesday.
“I can go out there and buy at the deadline, but if we’re not playing our best baseball in the second half, it’s not really gonna matter. Nobody can go out there and change the entire composition of their team at one trade deadline. … There’s gonna be a lot of competition out there, so that’s unrealistic. I think we could add to the team in a tangible way. I just don’t think it’s gonna be the transformation of the team.”
Is there a hard and fast win total that'll determine whether or not the Diamondbacks buy or sell at the MLB trade deadline?
GM Mike Hazen discusses with @WolfandLuke.
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The deadline is on July 31, and the D-backs entered play on Wednesday trailing the third NL Wild Card spot by 5.5 games. The risk of buying or standing pat is clear given its potential impact on next season and beyond. At the same time, there are a lot of good players in that clubhouse who want the chance to keep going.
Manager Torey Lovullo said he is going to continue asking Hazen to wait on a decision to potentially sell until it becomes impossible.
“I still think this team has talent on it to go out there and win,” Hazen said. “We have to go out there and do that, too. We can only talk about that for so long. We’re now into month four and we’re getting close to the trade deadline.”
Mike Hazen needs to see Diamondbacks’ rotation improve
The offense went off last year to carry much of the load, particularly Ketel Marte throughout the summer while Eugenio Suarez and Corbin Carroll heated up. The bats have continued to produce at a high level this year, ranked fourth in MLB in scoring and team OPS.
Run prevention was the focus heading into the season, which has floundered (4.64 ERA), and a rotation considered one of the best in baseball has to perform more consistently, even without Corbin Burnes. The bullpen needs all the protection it can get in its current state.
“You start to build up the majority of your starting pitching group pitching the way they are, you start to gain a lot more confidence that on a nightly basis your offense is gonna have the ability to go out there and start to establish some leads like we did on Monday night,” Hazen said.
“Even though you give up a run late, it sort of becomes an afterthought, right? … It’s not like it is when you’re grinding through games like (Tuesday) … I think on the whole, last night’s game we’ve been winning that game 5-1. I believe that can happen. If we continue to get that starting pitching, then yes, it gives me a lot more confidence.”
That’s on Zac Gallen, Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez in particular to get rolling in the right direction, as the trio owns ERAs over five. Gallen has looked the part in his last two starts, while Rodriguez performed well in June before a stinker in his last start on Friday. Pfaadt ate six innings consistently to start the year but has struggled to provide consistent length since then.
To Hazen’s point, the Diamondbacks are 20-1 when their starters go six-plus innings with one earned run or fewer, the best record in MLB.
The cleanest way to stack wins starts with playing “downhill baseball,” a tone set by the starter that allows the offense to build leads. Monday and Tuesday were great examples of that, Tuesday was just a rough night for the bats between two robbed home runs and failed execution.
Zac Gallen motivated to do his part
Gallen understands the urgency of the moment. He hits the market next winter and has been subject to trade rumors.
He’s allowed one earned run across 13 innings over his last two starts, both victories. For the Diamondbacks to have any chance, they need the rotation to be better consistently, and it starts with him.
It is not that he’s made wholesale changes or is trying harder lately, but he embraces his role atop the rotation.
“I felt like I hadn’t really been doing my part,” Gallen told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo. “I wanted to try to pull the rope a little bit tighter and see if I can get this thing going in the right direction. Obviously, it’s a team game. It’s gonna take all of us. But I felt like I’d been letting the guys down for the last however many months. Let’s get this thing in gear and see what happens.”
Repeatability with the delivery and a process-oriented approach to stack one executed pitch on top of another were keys he continues to preach.
What's led to Diamondbacks SP Zac Gallen's recent stretch of strong starts?
He dove in with @BurnsAndGambo.
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