Mid-Season Report Card: Stats and Trends for the First Half

As we head into the Dog Days of Summer with a little less than half the season left, it's time to take a brief look back. Here at Trends, we take a look at the current roster and see how they've done recently. In this instance, "recent" both means "the last two series before the All-Star Break" and "the first half of the season."

After a six game losing streak, it looked like the Diamondbacks were going to go into the break with an insurmountable gap and with their tails between their legs. But they turned it around and took 3 of 4 games from the Dodgers to give us all a little more hope.

Starting Rotation
Player	Trend	Notes
Ian Kennedy		Last Week: Kennedy started on July 4th against the Padres and went 7 mostly strong innings. It wasn't a "quality start" - he gave up 4 runs, never more than 1 run an inning - but he kept his team in the game. Unfortunately, the lead was put out of reach by the bullpen after he left the game.
		Season: This Ian Kennedy is not same as the 21-game winner from 2011. Only once this season has he given up 0 runs in his innings, and that was only for 5 innings. Kennedy's 4.26 ERA is disappointing, and he needs to right his own ship before the Diamondbacks can begin to think about righting theirs.
Wade Miley		Last Week: I don't think giving up 12 earned runs in your last 10.1 IP is really the kind of July Miley wanted heading into his first All-Star Game, as a rookie at that. He took the lone loss in the last Los Angeles series, unable to get out of the 7th inning, and giving up two home runs. But he's bounced back from this kind of performance before, and I've no doubt he'll start the second half off strong.
		Season: Wade Miley was a late-August call-up last season and pitched well enough, and in Spring, to start this year with the team in the bullpen. When Daniel Hudson went down with his shoulder impingement, Miley was called upon to start, and he hasn't looked back since. He is economical with his pitches and keeps his team in the game. His ERA rose nearly a point with his last two starts (to 3.04), but that's a sign as to how low it was before that (2.19).
Trevor Cahill		Last Week: Cahill had a quality start Saturday and earned the win against the Dodgers; all three of his runs came off of home runs, and they were in his first and last innings of work that night. He did alright in between, scattering four other hits and a walk, and he struck out six batters.
		Season: Let's face it, we gave up a lot to get Trevor Cahill from Oakland, and he hasn't quite lived up to expectations. His ERA (3.64) is nearly half a point higher than it was this time last season, and he's struggled with keeping the ball in the park. Taken independently, it's not so bad, but we've seen flashes of what Cahill can really do, and we need to see more.
Josh Collmenter		Last Week: Collmenter threw six solid innings in two starts since Hudson's injury. He allowed only one earned run both times, and got his first win of the season Friday against the Dodgers.
		Season: First, Collmenter struggled as a starter, then he succeeded as a reliever, and now he's back to succeeding as a starter (small sample size not withstanding). Let's see which role he occupies after Saunders comes back.
Trevor Bauer		Last Week: Bauer really improved after his first two games in the big leagues. He pitched six shutout innings in under 100 pitches and earned his first major league win against the Dodgers. He also had a "career-high" six strikeouts.
		Season: A player's first three starts is hardly something to analyze Still, Bauer's transition in the major leagues hasn't been as easy as he wanted it to be. He is the most likely candidate to be sent back to Reno when Saunders comes back on Saturday, but nothing is set in stone.
Bullpen
Player	Trend	Notes
Craig Breslow		Last Week: Breslow rebounded from a few "making it worse" outings to having two "job well done" outings against the Padres and Dodgers, throwing two scoreless innings.
		Season: Overall, Breslow has been a stabilizing piece of the bullpen that was needed. Unfortunately, most of his inherited runners tend to score, but he's had more scoreless appearances than not.
Patrick Corbin		Last Week: Corbin did very well in long relief against San Diego and LA. He came in after Bauer and threw 4.1 innings against the Padres, giving up two runs. He then earned his very first save when he threw 3 IP / 1 ER against the Dodgers on Sunday.
		Season: It's a little early to tell what's going to happen with Corbin. He's naturally a starter, but struggled in that role back in May. He's done very well in relief since being recalled at the end of June.
David Hernandez		Last Week: David took the loss against San Diego late on the 4th of July, but bounced back with two scoreless innings against the Dodgers.
		Season: Hernandez has blow just as many saves himself (4) than the team did in late innings all of last season. Still, Hernandez has 12 holds and has been, more often than not, a very reliable setup man for J.J. Putz.
J.J. Putz		Last Week: J.J. earned two saves against the Dodgers, and has not allowed a run since the middle of June.
		Season: Last season, J.J. was the anchor, earning 45 saves for the division champs. He's nowhere near that pace this season, and his early struggles were costly. He still gets hit, but he'll get the outs needed.
Bryan Shaw		Last Week: Shaw came into Friday's game with a three-run lead and left with a run in and the bases loaded. He also struggled on the 4th against the Padres, giving up two earned runs in the 9th inning and putting the game out of reach. It was not his best week.
		Season: Bryan joined the team in June last season as a setup man for David Hernandez. Only once last season did he allow two earned runs, and yet we still won that game. He's allowed two earned runs three times already this season, and even one time gave up three runs. He's been pretty good overall, but when he's off, he's waaay off.
Mike Zagurski		Last Week: Zagurski got the biggest confidence boost ever last week. He relieved Shaw with the bases loaded and nobody out and got out of the jam cleanly. What an outing.
		Season: An ERA above 5 is not good, even for a middle reliever, even if it was due to only two awful outings. Still, I'd say Big Z is on the bubble for any pitcher moves the rest of the season.
Brad Ziegler		Last Week: Ziegler had an outing similar to Shaw against the Padres - left with the bases loaded and a run in. But, he threw a scoreless inning and a third against the Dodgers on Thursday.
		Season: Ziegler was very reliable most of last season with the A's and Diamondbacks, so it's a bit disheartening when he struggles. Still, his struggles are few and far between, and when used properly, he gets some big outs in big situations.
Starting Lineup
Player	Trend	Notes
Willie Bloomquist		Last Week: Willie went only 2-for-13 against the Dodgers, but had a big day on the 4th of July - 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI.
		Season: Starting from mid-May, Willie has been our on-base guy. (Now if he could just not get caught stealing....) He had a streak of being on base 21 straight games, had an 8-game hit streak, a few 5-game hit streaks, and has a ton of 3-hit games. His RBIs are a little low but with a line of .294 / .324 / .717, I'll take it.
Ryan Roberts		Last Week: With Blum back, Roberts got a bit of a break, starting only two games of the Dodgers series. He was 1-for-7 with four strikeouts.
		Season: Ryan hasn't seen a .250 batting average since Day 1 of the season. We all knew last year was a career year for RyRo, but it's still hard to see him struggling as much as he is. He may start to split time with both Geoff Blum and Willie Bloomquist.
Justin Upton		Last Week: Justin really came alive facing the Dodgers, going 7-for-15 and getting some big RBIs against Clayton Kershaw.
		Season: I can't count the number of times Upton has struck out with runners in scoring position; frequently, it ends an inning. Fans are understandably frustrated with the team's poor offense. Justin has done better since his 9-game hit streak in mid-June, but he's still not performing like the MVP candidate he was last year.
Miguel Montero		Last Week: Miggy's bat has stalled a little bit, going 4-for-18 against the Padres and Dodgers before the break. His throws to second and footwork behind the plate seems to have suffered a little bit too, culminating in the recent walk-off loss to the Brewers.
		Season: Miggy's batting line is about the same as it was at this point last season. Having a .272/.378/.797 catcher locked up for five more years is a huge asset to this team going forward.
Chris Young		Last Week: Young has only two hits since the Atlanta series at the end of June, and if he doesn't warm up soon, he'll be splitting more time with Parra than he'd like.
		Season: Things started off so well. Young was hitting .410 before his April shoulder injury, and is now down to .203. He's still alright in the field, but not at all with the bat.
Jason Kubel		Last Week: Kubel did just alright in the LA series, but killed it against the Padres with 7 RBIs.
		Season: I'll fully admit, I was very skeptical about the Kubel signing, but I am so so so glad we have him. Kubel has had some of the biggest hits for the Diamondbacks this season, had 27 RBIs the month of June, has hit around .300 all year, and has 11 assists from the field.
Paul Goldschmidt		Last Week: Goldy had a solid week, going 10-for-26 against the Padres and Dodgers, including a key home run in Sunday's win (tying a career-high with 4 RBIs).
		Season: Goldschmidt may not be the phenom people wanted him to be, but he is a darn solid player. He's got the power (12 HR, 42 RBIs) and, since mid-May, he's hit very well - a mid-season line of .302//368/.920 is something to be very proud of!
Aaron Hill		Last Week: Aaron continues to be a hitting machine. He didn't slow down much after his second cycle in Milwaukee: he hit an even .300 against the Padres and Dodgers, and scored four runs.
		Season: Seriously. The man hits for two cycles in 11 days, has better offensive and defensive statistics than most second basemen in the league, and doesn't make the All-Star team. So unfair.
Bench
Player	Trend	Notes
Geoff Blum		Blum is back, Bell is gone, all is right with the world. Blum has started two games at third base and gotten a hit in each start. He is 0-for-2 in pinch-hit appearances. Too few games for the season to really study.
Henry Blanco		Henry started one game against the Dodgers and went 0-for-3 with a walk. Again, too few games to look at - in 17 games, he's hitting .167 with 0 home runs and 3 RBIs. It's not too different than last season, minus the home runs.
Stephen Drew		Drew made his triumphant return from a broken ankle in Atlanta, getting a hit in his second at-bat. They've thrown Drew right back into the fire; he's only not not played in two of the team's games since his return, and has started all but two of those. The offense will come back.
Gerardo Parra		Last Week: Parra's bat is back on track; he went 5-for-12 in three starts and one pinch-hit appearance against SD and LA. He only had two RBIs but he's getting on base and even had one steal, and that's a start.
		Season: Offensively, Parra too is right about where he was at the break last year. He has to fight for playing time, but he seems to make the most of it.
Lyle Overbay		Last Week: Overbay only made one appearance as of late, and that was, unfortunately, to strike out against Clayton Kershaw.
		Season: Lyle has done very well in the starts he's been given, and also has five hits as a pinch hitter. With his solid glove at first, he's a reliable option when Goldy needs a break.
Disabled List
Player	Trend	Notes
Daniel Hudson		Last Week: Hudson recently had Tommy John surgery for a torn elbow ligament. He'll be out for at least 10-12 months. :-(
		Season: Let's just say it wasn't good.
John McDonald		Last Week: McDonald recently went on the disabled list with a strained left oblique.
		Season: McDonald is a very good defensive shortstop, an excellent partner with fellow former Blue Jay Aaron Hill. For a while he was hitting over .300, but he dropped to .267/.308/.796 as of the end of June.
Takashi Saito		We signed Saito for just under $2mil to stabilize the bullpen and have yet to see him throw a pitch. He hasn't even made a rehab appearance since mid-June due to "an upper respiratory infection".
Joe Saunders		Last Week: Joe felt totally fine before learning he was to be placed on the disabled list with a strained shoulder. Saunders rehabbed at a rookie league game at Salt River Fields on Sunday, and will start Saturday's game in Chicago.
		Season: Saunders started off the season saying, "What do you mean I'm a #5 starter?" with an ERA under 1 for the month of April. A few rough starts in May ballooned his ERA to the mid-3s, where he seems to have settled. He's been pretty reliable all year.

Stats run from 7/2 - 7/8.