Diamondbacks Gameday Thread, #114: 8/8 vs. Dodgers

I’m only half-joking. For the sole series win the D-backs have had since the break, of seven sets played - indeed, the only consecutive victories - came against the team with the best record in the National League (and on the road, to boot). Now, we face the team with the second-best record in the National League. What could possibly go wrong? But at least it’s a two-game series; I’m hopeful the D-backs will be able to halt their skid and get a split here. Merrill Kelly goes tomorrow, and Brandon Pfaadt had easily the best start of his season last time out, so we’ll see if he can built on that. He is facing the team who have scored a league-leading 5.74 runs per game though, so it’s a tougher challenge than SF.

Ranking the power rankings

Last week turned into a bit of a cluster, the trade deadline interfering with a lot of the usual suspects. So I opted to skip it entirely in the end, and go with a clean, full slate of rankings this week. Part of me actually wanted to drop the feature entirely, since it’s really only a reminder of the D-backs’ recent failures. But we persist. So, with the suggestion that you may want to have a stiff drink to hand, let’s proceed...

• MLB.com: #14 (last time: #9)
• CBS Sports: #20 (last time: #12) - “It’s gotten so bad they are losing a Zac Gallen vs. Dallas Keuchel matchup in 2023.”
• USA Today: #17 (last time: #10) - “26-38 against winning teams.”
• Sports Illustrated: #20 (last time: #13) - “Not long ago, the Diamondbacks were the darlings of the National League. At one point they were 16 games over .500, with a four-game lead in the NL West. The Snakes have lost 22 of their last 29 games, and would now miss the playoffs if the season ended today.”
• ESPN: #13 (last time: #10) - “The D-backs slogged through an 8-16 record in July, going from two games up in the NL West at the start of the month to 3½ back by the end of it. They’re hoping reinforcements can provide a much-needed boost. The D-backs added right-handed-hitting outfielder Tommy Pham to help balance out the lineup and acquired closer Paul Sewald to fortify the back end of their bullpen. But they didn’t add a starting pitcher. And they certainly needed one, especially with Zach Davies and Tommy Henry on the injured list. “That market was really tough,” GM Mike Hazen said. “There weren’t a lot of starters out there available. Some of the starters that were out there got held, some got traded. We didn’t end up acquiring one. We were willing to overpay, in our mind, for a starter.”

Unsurprisingly, not a good week. Indeed, a couple of the ranking now show the D-backs as behind the Padres. This weekend’s series against San Diego at Chase should give a good indication of whether or not that assessment is accurate. For now, the team still sit above the Padres in terms of average rankings in the NL West.

1. Dodgers: 5.6
2. Giants: 9.2
3. D-backs: 16.8
4. Padres: 18.6
5. Rockies: 27.4