👋 GOOD MORNING

Happy Tuesday! I hope your week is off to a great start. I’ll get to the Diamondbacks below, but first, I just wanted to throw a little reminder out there about Skatin’ For Leighton, which is happening this Sunday at Salt River Fields. It’s an incredible event for so many reasons, and I’d love for you to join me and my family out there!

You can skate, run, walk, or just chill out, but everything raised goes to ​an amazing cause​. The event honors the memory of Leighton Accardo, who captured the hearts of hockey fans around The Valley with her courageous battle against cancer. I sure hope you can join us out there — I’ll have a little writeup for the site later this week, as well.

One last note: Remember, if you would like to have this emailed to you each morning, you can ​sign up for the newsletter right here​, and I’ll keep you in the loop with everything going on this summer! Don’t miss a beat!

On to the show!

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Diamondbacks Still Trying to Find Footing in Stacked NL West

The Diamondbacks are still searching for consistency.

If they can find it, the sky’s the limit.

Jake McCarthy is a prime example — a player that established himself as a regular last season, but was just optioned to Triple-A Reno following an abysmal 3-for-41 start to the season. The 24-year-old outfielder hit .285 with 56 RBI and 66 runs scored in 142 games last year, but has failed to find any sort of solid footing so far in 2025.

The season is young, but Arizona needs McCarthy to re-establish himself as a regular in the lineup at some point. It’s especially important considering the team needs every bit of offense it can muster as the pitching staff continues to search for consistency early in the season.

Diamondbacks Off To a Good Start in a Loaded Division

If McCarthy’s demotion is the worst thing to happen to the D-backs this season, honestly, they’re in really good shape. Arizona ranks ninth in batting average (.251) and it is third in total RBI (117), four shy of the Yankees but far behind the league-leading Cubs (142).

Speaking of the Cubs, Chicago has accounted for nearly half of the Diamondbacks’ losses this season, as Arizona is 3-4 against them. The D-backs have lost just one other series early in their 2025 schedule, as they dropped two of three to the Nationals April 4-6, but also own impressive series wins over the first place Yankees (AL East) and second-place Brewers (NL Central).

• The D-backs’ starting rotation ranks 13th with 114 strikeouts, but 26th with a 4.46 ERA.
• It has been even worse early in games, as Arizona is second-to-last with an 8.18 ERA in the first inning, ahead of only the 4-17 Colorado Rockies.
• Closer A.J. Puk is on the 15-day injured list (retro to April 18) and reliever Joe Mantiply was also optioned to Reno after accumulating an abysmal 15.95 ERA in eight games, 7.1 innings of work.
• At 13-9, Arizona still has the ninth-best record in the league, despite its current fourth-place position in the NL West.

My take: It’s pretty easy to lose sight of the forest through the trees here, but most of this is nit-picking a team that has, by all accounts, played to expectations so far this season. Arizona was 10-12 after 22 games last year, and were no better off on the mound than they are right now. In fact, if there’s any silver lining in playing in the stacked NL West, it’s that two of the three teams the Diamondbacks are currently chasing, the Giants and the Padres, rank 22nd and 16th in team ERA, respectively. They’re also giving up runs early, ranking 27th and 26th, respectively, in the first inning.

The D-backs need their starters and role players to find more steady footing as the spring transitions into summer, but what really matters is how well they are humming as the fall approaches

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Musings From Around (and Sometimes Beyond) The Valley

Ty-ing The Team Together: The ASU men’s hockey team received a commitment from Ty Nash, a local product who starred in the WHL from 2021-2024 before joining the University of Alberta this past season. If the 21-year-old Scottsdale native’s name looks familiar, well, it should — he’s the son of former Coyotes player and broadcaster Tyson Nash. Congrats, Ty!

Not Stopping Short: Arizona shortstop Mason White was been selected as a Big 12 Co-Player of the Week, joining fellow infielder Mathis Meurant as the two Wildcats to earn Big 12 weekly awards this season. The Tucson native started all four games for Arizona during a 3-1 week that included a run-rule victory over Grand Canyon and a road series win at BYU.

Suns’ Gonna Rise: The Suns are entering a critical offseason, and rumors feel like they’re hitting a fever pitch, whether it’s the job security of GM James Jones or speculation around a potential Kevin Durant trade. Our PHNX Suns crew discussed all of that ​on their latest pod​, previewing what may be the most important offseason in franchise history.

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🧢 Tip of the Hat by Branded Bills

You love to see it.

Wildcats just continue to give back!

Genesis Smith (@Genesis_Smithh) spoke to @DamonDawg & @KevoPosts about what he has up his sleeve for the Tucson community this summer 👀

FULL SHOWCASE SHOW:https://t.co/dAZ0R2raJV pic.twitter.com/3BKtOUIFGp

— PHNX Wildcats (@PHNX_Wildcats) April 21, 2025