Happy Thursday! I hope your week is going well.
I’ll get to the Diamondbacks below, but first, today may be the last day of NBA basketball until the fall, so make sure to check out OKC vs. Indiana! Selfishly I’m hoping for a seventh game, because this time of year is always so bittersweet given the end of both the NHL and NBA seasons. Once both leagues complete their respective drafts, we’re left with WNBA and MLB action to hold us over until fall sports kick off.
Given that it was 110 degrees yesterday, that feels so far away, but I’m already looking forward to it.
Enjoy the game, and let’s wrap up the week together tomorrow. On to the show!
Diamondbacks Who Deserve Your Attention
The Diamondbacks have issues, and those have been well documented throughout a frustrating start to the MLB season.
Yesterday’s 8-1 loss in Toronto — Arizona’s third straight loss — was yet another exercise in frustration. D-backs bats were mostly silent, Kevin Ginkel struggled yet again and the D-backs gave up even more ground in the NL West and Wild Card races, with reasons for optimism tumbling faster than a late-inning lead.
Don’t worry: Your friendly neighborhood eternal optimist is here to provide a healthy dose of positivity!
Snakes Alive: Diamondbacks Who Have Impressed in 2025
It hasn’t all been doom and gloom.
Collectively, Arizona’s offense has still been one of the league’s best, hitting the third-most home runs (102) and RBI (358) while recording the seventh-fewest strikeouts (571). The pitching staff’s collective ERA ranks sixth-worst, which is extremely evident considering the Diamondbacks have a minus-13 run differential despite having scored all of those aforementioned runs.
But this is a happy space today, so let’s look a little bit deeper at some of the season’s heroes on offense.
- Eugenio Suárez leads the team with 21 home runs, which also ranks fifth in all of Major League Baseball. And who could forget his historic four-home run game?!
- Suárez also leads the team with 58 RBI, which is tied with Pete Crow-Armstrong for sixth-most in the league.
- Josh Naylor has lived up to expectations after acquiring him in the offseason, leading the team with a .305 average. He’s tied with Geraldo Perdomo for the second-most RBI on the Diamondbacks, at 49.
- Naylor’s .305 average is 11th-best in MLB.
- Corbin Carroll continues to leave the yard, training Suárez by just one home run this season (20). That mark is sixth-best in all of baseball.
- Perdomo has proven to be clutch this season, as his 11 RBI with runners in scoring position rank are tied for second in the league. Naylor has nine, which is tied for seventh.
See?! It’s not all bad, after all.
My Take: These offensive numbers are great — legendary — which makes it almost more frustrating to watch the pitching staff struggle. Ginkel, for example, had another disastrous outing yesterday after allowing three earned runs in just one inning of work, and that’s the type of thing that’s hard to watch after seeing him have such a big role with the D-backs in previous seasons. He’s had a sub-3.40 ERA in each season dating back to 2022, making this year even more baffling.
The Diamondbacks are running out of time, but all hope is not yet lost. Their 36-37 record is identical to last year’s 89-win team at this point, with a number of winnable series coming up. I’m not ready to completely let my optimism go …. but time is ticking.
Setting the Standard: Congrats to three Sun Devils student athletes, who recently earned CSC Academic All-District recognition. Sun Devil Beach Volleyball’s Tori Clement became the third member in program history to be recognized, while gymnasts Jada Mangahas and Emily White earned their third consecutive nod.
Pluta Keeps Winning: Wildcats closer Tony Pluta received another honor, as he was named a First Team All-American by the American Baseball association. The junior right-hander set an Arizona single-season record with 14 saves, and is the first Wildcats pitcher to earn First Team honors since Tim Plodinec in 1968. Congrats (again), Tony!
Sun Going Down: The Mercury (9-4) won their third straight yesterday, defeating the Connecticut Sun (2-10) 83-75 with a balanced scoring attack. Alyssa Thomas and Lexi Held’s 14 points led the team, while five different players finished in double figures. Phoenix is back in action tonight at New York (4 pm, Prime Video).
Don’t Bet on it: The Fanduel Sportsbook Lounge inside PHX Arena will discontinue its operations on July 24, bringing an end to the amenity that opened to much fanfare nearly four years ago. AZCentral.com reported the book is being converted into a lounge, as in-person betting trails far behind wagers placed online. It was fun while it lasted!
It’s Getting Drafty: KD trade talk isn’t the only thing dominating headlines, as the NBA Draft is next week! Make sure to check out the NBA Diehard Draft Guide — Led by ALLCITY draft analysts Derek Bodner of PHLY and Will Gottlieb of CHGO, this guide is your one-stop-shop as teams across the league gear up to reshape their rosters!
Note the Diehard draft guide is best viewed on desktop or tablet!
Tip Of The Hat By Branded Bills
Despite the loss, this was a fun episode! Musical chairs day was a blast!
