Series Preview #35: Diamondbacks @ Giants

The Diamondbacks are in freefall. Or they would be, if not for the relative mediocrity of the rest of the National League. Despite losing 99%, give or take, of their last forty games, they are only one game out of a playoff spot, and merely four out of the NL west, a distinctly possible number. For all the admittedly justified doom and gloom I’ve seen around here, I think at the start of the season we all would have been happy to know that they would be six games above .500 and a game back of a playoff spot to start August.

But expectations have changed, and for good reason. This team showed us what they were capable of. They were the second best team in the National League at one point, and now they’ve lost eight of their last ten, and even more of the games before that. The question now for us as fans is now what? Is July what we can expect for the rest of the season? That’s going to suck. I just finally got access to watch the Dbacks games and this is what they give me? Or are they going to bounce back to closer to what they were early in the season? Or will it be somewhere in between?

You’re guess is as good as mine. I’m not sure anyone knows, but that’s why they play the games on grass and dirt, not ink and paper. It’s an understatement to say that time is running out, however. This streak has made Hazen go from an aggressive buyer to a cautious one, to, potentially, not one at all. Frankly, I’m not sure I’m upset that they aren’t overpaying for some of these mediocre pitchers, but the reason is disappointing to say the least.

Because of all that, though, these next three are going to be the most significant of the Diamondbacks 2023 regular season. There is still a core of a good team on this roster, and there will be for three or four years still, but they need reinforcements. And the players that are here now need to stop waiting around and pull themselves together, reinforcements or not.

The rest of the season starts today. Let’s see if the Diamondbacks are ready for it.

As of writing, the Diamondbacks have announced that Ryne Nelson will start on Monday, Gallen will start on Tuesday, and Pfaadt on Wednesday.. They haven’t announced their starter for Wednesday (who might not even be employed by the team yet) and the Giants haven’t announced any. Makes it hard to write a series preview, that’s for sure!

The Giants aren’t struggling like the Diamondbacks are, but they’ve lost more than they’ve won over the past ten games. If Arizona can maybe hit a little, and not pitch horribly, they could have a chance. A strong series here should put the Diamondbacks right back into a playoff spot.

Game 1 — 7/31, 6:45PM

Game 2 — 8/1, 6:45PM

Game 3 — 8/2, 6:45PM

Game 4 — 8/3, 12:45PM