3 key developments that helped Diamondbacks get back to .500

On May 31, the Diamondbacks dropped their fifth consecutive game, a 10-9 loss to the New York Mets at Citi Field. With it, they fell to 25-32. It was their worst record as a franchise since the final day of the 2022 season, when they finished the year 74-88.

But the Diamondbacks finished that day on a high note. With two outs in the ninth inning, they hit a pair of homers; a three-shot by Joc Pederson and a solo dinger by Christian Walker. In a matter of seconds, they cut a 10-5 deficit to 10-9.

The Diamondbacks still lost that day, but their late-game comeback felt like a push in the right direction. In retrospect, it might have been the key inflection point for their 2024 season.

---

Since that loss in New York, the Diamondbacks have gone 13-6, highlighted by a marquee victory over the National League-leading Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Friday. For the first time since April 16, the Diamondbacks are a .500 team.

Granted, some of their recent success can be attributed to a light portion of their schedule. They have played one game against an above-.500 team all month; that was Friday’s game against the Phillies. Nonetheless, there is something to be said for taking care of business against lesser teams, and the Diamondbacks have done that lately.

Here is a look at how they have done it.

Better approach from Diamondbacks hitters

In order to be successful, the Diamondbacks generally need to be among the better teams in the league at taking pitches out of the zone. In June, they have done exactly that.

Friday’s win over the Phillies was a good example. D-backs hitters saw 82 pitches that were outside the zone; they swung at just 14 of them. That works out to a chase rate of 17.1 percent, which is well below the league average of 28.2 percent. Only once this season has a team posted a lower chase rate in a game against the Phillies.

Last month, one of the reasons for the Diamondbacks’ hitting woes was a middling 28.4 percent chase rate. It was their highest mark in any month as a team since last July, when they posted an 8-16 record as a team.

So far in June, Diamondbacks hitters have chased just 25.7 percent of pitches out of the zone. That is the fifth-lowest mark in baseball.

Swinging at fewer pitches out of the zone means more hitter-advantaged counts, and that means being in better position to capitalize on mistakes.

After hitting just .250 with a .375 slugging percentage on middle-middle pitches last month, the Diamondbacks have hit .383 with a .741 slugging percentage in June. Those marks rank sixth and fourth in baseball, respectively.

More innings from starting pitchers

With three-fifths of the Diamondbacks’ starting rotation on the injured list, the club has struggled to get consistent length from its starting pitchers.

Earlier this month, the Diamondbacks had a particularly brutal stretch in this regard. From June 4 to June 9, Diamondbacks starters tallied a total of 20 innings over six games. That works out to an average of 3 1/3 innings per start. Somehow, the team still went 3-3 in that stretch.

It was going to be tough to play .500 ball that way for long, however. Short starts put strain on the bullpen. The Diamondbacks made a plethora of roster moves to get through it, and often had to rely on less proven arms as a result.

Since then, Diamondbacks starters have logged five innings or more in eight of their past 10 games. The team went 7-1 in those games.

Of course, this is not just about innings. It is also about effectiveness. Since June 12, only once has a Diamondbacks starter allowed more than three earned runs.

The Diamondbacks’ rotation would still be better off with Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez in it. Nonetheless, the current group has done a better job lately of holding serve.

Continued success for backend relievers

The Diamondbacks’ early-season bullpen woes feel like a distant memory at this point. The backend of their bullpen has been especially stellar in June.

Generally, the team’s high-leverage opportunities go to Paul Sewald, Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel, Joe Mantiply and, on occasion, Justin Martinez.

Here is a look at how that group has performed this month:

Player	IP	ERA	WHIP	K%	BB%	Opp. OPS
Justin Martinez	8.1	1.08	1.08	28.1	6.3	.515
Joe Mantiply	7.1	3.68	1.23	23.3	10.0	.596
Kevin Ginkel	8.1	1.08	0.96	9.1	6.1	.506
Ryan Thompson	7.1	1.23	1.09	13.8	3.4	.656
Paul Sewald	6.2	0.00	0.45	20.8	8.3	.258

When the Diamondbacks have a late lead, they are winning basically every time.

Of course, Sewald is responsible for much of this success. Not only has he gone a perfect 9-for-9 in save opportunities to open the season, but he allows other Diamondbacks relievers to settle into roles that suit them well.

Prior to Sewald’s return from the injured list on May 7, opposing hitters had a .939 OPS against D-backs relievers in high-leverage situations. Since Sewald’s return, that number has fallen to just .614.

Follow Jesse Friedman on X

Top photo: Kyle Ross/USA TODAY Sports