Team and managerial confidence slips for Diamondbacks fans

Welcome to SB Nation FanPulse, a survey of fans across MLB. Each week, we send 30 polls to plugged in fans from each team. Diamondbacks fans, sign up HERE to join FanPulse.

Are you confident in the direction of the team? 70% YES

That’s the biggest drop of the season, down from 93% last time we checked in: the 23% decrease surpasses the 17% drop after the first week of the season. It’ll be interesting to see what way things go next time. A solid series against the Pirates, but injury concerns hover, in particular over Zack Greinke. The results of the MRI, which we should get back tomorrow, will probably be a significant factor next week. If it’s just a start or two, Torey Lovullo and Mike Hazen can perhaps figure something out and weather the storm. But Greinke has been very much a key to the unexpected success this season, and any lengthy loss would no doubt be a hammer blow to fan confidence.

Do you approve of the job Torey Lovullo is doing as manager? 83% YES

While a solid vote of confidence - and above the results for both San Francisco and San Diego - it’s barely above the 82% where Lovullo’s rating stood at the start of the season. AZPerson explained in their Fanpost the reasons why they changed their vote this time round: if I may summarize, too many catchers and too much “loyalty” to players who don’t deserve it. Although, you can argue whether these are issues, and if so, how much they are Lovullo’s responsibility. But the drop in rating tells me that AZPerson is not alone in their concerns. However, I suspect that Lovullo’s rating will end up closely tied to the D-backs’ win-loss record. If we make the post-season, NL Manager of the Year seems quite possible.

National Question: Are baseball games too long?

That’s basically 3-1 in favor of the current length of baseball games. Personally, I don’t think they’re too long - but, then, I apparently just spent seven years waiting for a woman to be crushed under a pile of falling masonry. So my judgment on such things is likely suspect. That said, I think there’s certainly room for them to be less long, and it wouldn’t hurt the game at all. It’s not the length per se which is the issue, it’s the pace of them which can sometimes become an aggravation. Below is a perfect example, from the series against Atlanta. The minutes in question didn’t make much difference to the game’s length - but, man, this seems like an age when absolutely nothing of relevance to the contest took place.