Things are looking (slightly) better for Arizona. They are still behind in the standings (16th, 32-28) but they can still claim to be 2nd in the NL West. Faint praise has never pushed a team into the playoffs, and Arizona is currently looking up at a few teams nobody thought would be any good (Cubs & Mets) and some that will be hard to pass (Cardinals & Marlins).
The injury bug has continued to ravage this roster. The deepest cuts are coming on offense with Carlos Santana still suffering concussion-like symptoms, and now Matt Adams has suffered a calf injury that will keep him out until Mid-June. Luckily JJ Hardy has started hitting well enough to split the SS/DH duties with Chris Owings, who is exceeding expectations. Paul Goldschmidt continues to be Paul Goldschmidt and lead the team in runs, HR, and RBI. If it wasn't for Hardy's amazing .303 (It's amazing because he was barely hitting .200 almost two months in) Goldschmidt would lead the team there as well. There is room for improvement, but hitting isn't where this team is struggling right now.
The pitching staff was bad, but recently they have been below average, which is a huge boost. The wins are starting to come, even with Gio Gonzalez still on the DL. Ian Kennedy has taken over as the staff ace, but recently Henderson Alvarez has given him a run for his money. It did come against the light-hitting Rays, but Alvarez tossed a complete game shutout to bring his season ERA and WHIP down to 2.62 and 1.28. Chase Anderson has also recovered from his early season troubles, after getting rocked for 5ER against the Dodgers he has only allowed 2ER in two starts. His 14K's aren't going to blow anyone away, but he's pitching well enough to give Diamondback fans some hope.
Outside of the starting rotation things are rather steady, outside of Jim Johnson and his nightmare season of course, and the recent addition of Pat Neshek should shore up any leaks. Call-up Evan Marshall has only allowed 2ER in 8.2IP and Joakim Soria is back to looking like the "Mexicutioner" with 11 saves and a tidy 0.70 WHIP.
No comments:
Post a Comment