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A National League West division championship may be out of reach for the Arizona Diamondbacks, but the defending National League champions are still in great position to reach the 2024 postseason. Arizona is currently 2.5 games up on the Atlanta Braves for the second of three NL Wild Card spots with under a month to play.
It's quite a turnaround for a Diamondbacks team that was seven games under .500 at one point and did not climb above .500 for good until right before the All-Star Break. Since then, the Diamondbacks have been red-hot, going 28-13 to turn a lost season into one where they have a chance to defend their pennant.
Nothing, however, is guaranteed in baseball, and the Diamondbacks certainly have some holes to fill. With October looming, Torey Lovullo still has to figure out how to manage a mediocre starting pitching staff, a struggling closer, and injured players he hopes are about to return to the lineup.
The Diamondbacks must figure out how to get closer Paul Sewald back on track
While the Diamondbacks started slow then caught fire, it's been the opposite for closer Paul Sewald. After missing the first month of the season, he pitched to a 0.54 ERA in his first 19 appearances. In his 22 appearances since then, however, Sewald has a 7.40 ERA with opponents hitting for a .985 OPS against him.
He lost his closer role at the beginning of August with Justin Martinez replacing him and going 7-for-7 in save opportunities over the course of the month. Lovullo, however, doesn't want that move to be permanent. Asked if Martinez is the new closer, the Diamondbacks manager was blunt.
“No,” Lovullo said. “I’m not gonna give him that. I don’t want to give anybody that yet. We’re still working on some things. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Paul. There have been some improvements. And our best bullpen has Paul on the very back-end of it. And I want that to happen really bad.”
Sewald started September on a strong note, throwing a scoreless 7th inning on Sunday in Arizona's 14-3 win over the Dodgers.
Arizona can't rely solely on its offense in October
The Diamondbacks score runs. A lot of them. Their 749 entering play on September 3 is the most in the majors, more than 45 runs ahead of the second-place New York Yankees. Their .263 team batting average is second in MLB and their team OPS of .773 is a hair behind the New York Yankees' MLB-best .774.
As dominant as their offense has been, it won't be enough. The Diamondbacks' starting rotation is going to need to find consistency come playoff time. While their batting stats are at the top of the league, their starters are at the bottom with a ghastly 4.81 rotation ERA (27th).
Zac Gallen is the team's only season-long starter with a sub-4.00 ERA and the only one with an ERA+ of over 100. Jordan Montgomery, who was excellent for the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers has been a disaster for Arizona, pitching to a 6.16 ERA before getting hurt. The team has since relegated Montgomery to the bullpen. Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez both missed four months and since returning have been mediocre at best. Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson have both been solid, with Pfaadt posting a rotation-best WHIP of 1.191.
The Diamondbacks will need someone — more than one, realistically — to join Gallen as front-end quality pitchers for them to go deep into October again.
The Diamondbacks need to reintegrate Christian Walker and Ketel Marte back into the lineup
As great as the Diamondbacks' offense has been, the starting right side of their infield, consisting of Christian Walker and Ketel Marte, has been injured for over a month. Marte last played on August 18, going on the IL with a left ankle sprain. Lovullo updated the media on Monday, saying he doesn't know the exact date Marte will return, but the second baseman is “asymptomatic” and could rejoin the team on its upcoming road trip to San Francisco and Houston.
Marte has arguably been Arizona's best hitter, socking a team-high 30 home runs and hitting for a team-high .298 average. It all adds up to a 156 OPS+ in exactly 500 plate appearances.
The first baseman Walker has been on the shelf since July 29 with a left oblique injury. He went through what Lovullo called a “live workout” before the Diamondbacks' game on Monday. Like Marte, Lovullo expects him to make the next road trip.
Once a potential trade candidate while the Diamondbacks struggled early on, Walker ranks second behind Marte on the team with 23 homers. He has also hit for an .815 OPS.
Getting those two back has the potential to supercharge an already potent offense that has bashed its way into postseason position.
