Arizona Diamondbacks: Poor stats tell story of season
Apr 26, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo (61) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
The Arizona Diamondbacks lead the league with 20 losses as their 8-20 record shows. While it’s still early, it’s probably safe to say that the fans in Arizona can start planning things other than watching baseball for their October schedule.
Currently 8.5 games back of the San Francisco Giants (another story themselves), the Diamondbacks haven’t exactly helped their cause for a strong 2014 campaign. Here are a few notable stats that tell the tale of the season so far. (D-Backs fans, you might want to look away.)
2-13 record at home
That’s right, no home-field advantage here. Away from Chase Field, the team is a respectable 6-7. At home, they can’t get anything together. Fortunately for Arizona, they embark on a long 11-day trip away from home starting in May.
5.17 ERA, last in the MLB
When a team has this number, it’s pretty safe to say that they aren’t having a stellar season. Below are a few numbers that make up this dreaded statistic:
Bronson Arroyo: 1-2, 7.77 ERA, 36 hits in 24.1 innings
Trevor Cahill: 1-5, 7.66 ERA, 21 earned runs in 24.2 innings
Brandon McCarthy: 0-5, 5.54 ERA, 44 hits, 37.1 innings
Yeah, not good.
Mark Trumbo has just a .210 batting average with 22 strikeouts in 21 games
Trumbo is supposed to be one of the team’s leading hitters, but with the year he is having, the Diamondbacks are having to look elsewhere for baserunners. While he does have seven home-runs, Arizona needs him to be batting around .250 to consider him a sure-thing in the lineup. When one of your leading hitters is close to batting below .200, you have a big issue.
When you look around the Diamondbacks roster, the offense isn’t the thing that is losing games. While getting more base-runners and plating more runs is something the team needs to work on, pitching is the primary area of concern. With the performance the guys on the mound have had thus far, they might get to 100 losses quicker than many expect.