The Arizona Diamondbacks’ season has been a tale of three seasons. On July 1, they were 50-34 and three games ahead in the National League West. They lost 25 of their next 32 games, falling behind by 12.5 games on August 11. Then, over the final six weeks, they went 27-19 to secure the final NL wild card with 84 wins, which tied them with Miami for the fewest of the 12 playoff teams.
However, as the Philadelphia Phillies demonstrated last season—despite having a dismal regular-season record of 87-75—what transpires in April through September doesn’t necessarily translate into success in October.
Therefore, don’t place too much emphasis on the fact that the Dodgers are 8-5 versus the Arizona Diamondbacks this season and have won their past five meetings, including sweeping a two-game series in Arizona on August 8 and 9 and a three-game set in Los Angeles on August 28 and 30.
After managing to score just three runs in 42 innings of its last five regular-season games, Arizona, the third team in history to lose at least 110 games and qualify for the postseason two years later, defeated Milwaukee in a best-of-three series.
The strongly favored Dodgers in the division series could be even more upset by the streaky and unpredictable Diamondbacks after that upset.
Before Saturday’s first game, here are nine things to know about the Diamondbacks:
1. A thief is required
With 166 stolen bases in 192 tries and an 86% success rate, Arizona was second in the majors. With 44 triples, the Diamondbacks led baseball in scoring and put pressure on other teams by moving runners from first to third on singles and stealing extra bases when possible.
With 54 stolen bases in 59 attempts, leadoff man Corbin Carroll placed third in the league; four other players had at least ten stolen bases.
The Dodgers’ countermeasure is to build on early leads and keep pushing, just as they did in three of their five victories over Arizona in August, when they outscored the Diamondbacks 30-9 in the five games and gave up just two stolen bases.
2. Over the last two seasons, Christian Walker, the Diamondbacks’ stealthy star, has a combined total of 69 home runs and 197 RBIs
Despite winning just one Gold Glove in five seasons and not being selected for an All-Star Game, Christian Walker has quietly become one of the top first basemen in the game.
The right-handed hitter has had two successful seasons in a row. This season, he is batting.258 with an OPS of.830, 33 home runs, and 103 RBIs. Last year, he batted.242 with an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of.804 and 36 home runs and 94 RBIs.
In the ninth inning of Tuesday night’s 6-3 victory over the Brewers in Game 1, Walker scored two significant insurance runs with a two-run double, a 112-mph blast to left-center field. According to Fangraphs, he also ranked second with nine defensive runs saved and led all first basemen with 12 outs over average, with just two mistakes in 152 games.
3. Dynamo diminutive
Power and speed are only two of the many skills that the 23-year-old Carroll displayed this season. He was the first rookie to smash 25 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. Carroll is a left-handed hitter.
As a center fielder and right fielder, Carroll amassed four outs over average while hitting.285 with an.868 OPS, 30 doubles, 10 triples, and a team-high 116 runs. Growing up in Seattle, Carroll was inspired by former Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki.
Furthermore, don’t be fooled by that 5-foot-10, 165-pound frame. Arizona’s comeback triumph in Game 1 was ignited by Carroll’s two-run home run off Milwaukee ace Corbin Burnes, which traveled 443 feet to right field.
4. Hole cards
The previous time the Dodgers met Arizona, they thoroughly beat both of their starting pitchers: Merrill Kelly gave up seven earned runs and twelve hits in five innings in a 9-1 victory on August 30, and Zac Gallen gave up six earned runs and nine hits—including four home runs—in five and a half innings of a 7-4 victory on August 28.
However, those were anomalies for Kelly, who used his six-pitch mix to go 12-8 with a 3.29 ERA in 30 starts, 187 strikeouts and 69 walks in 177⅔ innings, and Gallen, an NL Cy Young Award candidate, who used his five-pitch mix to go 17-9 with a 3.47 ERA in 34 starts, with 220 strikeouts and 47 walks in 210 innings.
5. Boosting bullpen
General manager Mike Hazen, unable to obtain a starting pitcher at the trade deadline, moved back an inning for everyone else in a struggling bullpen by acquiring closer Paul Sewald from Seattle.
With 13 saves in 15 chances, Sewald, a fastball-slider specialist, was 0-1 with a 3.57 ERA in 20 games. In 60 games, right-hander Kevin Ginkel has a 2.48 ERA and a 9-1 record while playing in a setup role.
After being released by Tampa Bay with a 6.11 ERA, sidearm-throwing right-hander Ryan Thompson signed with Arizona in August and played in 13 games with an ERA of 0.69, akin to that of Ryan Brasier. In September, relievers possessed the third-best ERA in MLB (2.31), and they pitched a combined 6⅓ scoreless innings in Game 1 against Milwaukee.
On Wednesday, the bullpen pitched three shutout innings, and Sewald recorded his second save of the series.
6. Catch of the day: On Tuesday, after hitting the game-winning home run against the Brewers, Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno threw his bat.
The 23-year-old Venezuelan Gabriel Moreno topped all catchers with 20 defensive runs saved and threw out 22 of 57 would-be base stealers for a major league-best 39% success rate. He was acquired from Toronto along with outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for Daulton Varsho last winter.
Although he only hit.284 with a.747 OPS, seven home runs, 19 doubles, and 50 RBIs in 111 games, he is not a major threat at the plate. However, on Tuesday night, he broke a 3-3 tie with a solo home run in the fourth inning of the team’s victory over the Brewers.
Following his head injury in Game 2 on Wednesday, Moreno’s status may be in doubt. Brice Turang of Milwaukee hit Moreno with his bat in the second inning, and he left the game in the bottom of the third.
7. Leather that flashes
With 46 runs saved, Arizona’s team defense was ranked fourth by Sports Info Solutions. The Diamondbacks boast one of the top defensive outfields in baseball with Alek Thomas (center), Gurriel (left), and Carroll (right).
With the bases loaded and a double play completed to end the fifth inning on Tuesday night, third baseman Evan Longoria demonstrated that he still had spring in his 37-year-old legs by leaping to catch a Tyrone Taylor line drive to his left and throwing to second. Walker and Moreno both play excellent defense at their positions.
8. Ketel One On Tuesday during Game 1, Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte celebrates hitting a home run against the Brewers.
Although the switch-hitter Ketel Marte is not the most visually appealing player at second base, he was one of the team’s most reliable run contributors when he batted.His greatest season since 2019 came in 276 with a.843 OPS, 25 home runs, 26 doubles, nine triples, and 82 RBIs.
In addition to drawing 71 walks and striking out 109 times, Marte, who bats second behind Carroll, is a vital on-base contributor in front of Walker. The Diamondbacks led 3-2 in Game 2 against the Brewers thanks to Marte’s two-run single in the sixth inning.
9. Emotional preferred
After his wife, Nicole, passed away in August 2022 from glioblastoma, a malignant brain cancer, after a 26-month battle, Hazen, in his seventh year as general manager, was on the verge of quitting the game. However, his four sons, who are now aged 13 to 17, talked him out of it.
The Arizona Republic reported on Wednesday morning that in addition to enabling Hazen to enjoy the fruits of his rebuild and take a dip in the Chase Field pool to commemorate a playoff victory, the general manager also consented to a contract extension that is guaranteed through 2028 with a club option for an extra year.