Winning ways:
The D-Backs had a great first half of the season. Can they maintain it?
On the heels of the best first half in franchise history, the Diamondbacks have raised the level of expectations on what might be possible this season. Can they live up to the possibilities?
With the second half getting underway on Friday in Atlanta, we’ll find out soon. In the meantime, here are five questions that could prove pivotal as the rest of the season unfolds.
1. Can they keep this up?
As with any great season, the Diamondbacks’ roster is filled with surprise performers. Infielder/outfielder Chris Owings has 12 home runs, twice his pre-
vious career high. Zack Godley has a 2.58 ERA. Randall Delgado and T.J. McFarland have combined to throw 88 1/3 innings with a 2.85 ERA.
But whether the Diamondbacks can maintain their blistering pace depends not just on those sorts of performances, but on the breakout performances that, while less surprising, are just as crucial.
Can Robbie Ray and Taijuan Walker continue to perform like front-line starters? Can Jake Lamb avoid the second-half slump that befell him last year? Can Archie Bradley maintain his electric stuff and continue to dominate? Time will tell.
2. Can they solve left-handed pitching?
Aside from serving as a proverbial kick in the gut, the Diamondbacks’ series earlier this month at Dodger Stadium, where they were swept in three games, shined a spotlight on what already had appeared to be an issue: their ability to hit lefties.
In 21 innings against the Dodgers’ three lefty starters – Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood and Rich Hill – the Diamondbacks managed just one run and seven hits. The Diamondbacks are hitting just .225 against lefties this season, second-worst in the league.
Perhaps a healthy A.J. Pollock and Yasmany Tomas can help. Perhaps Brandon Drury, who has hit just .219 off lefties, can go back to hitting them the way he did last year (.280). Or perhaps this is an issue the Diamondbacks will need to address via trade.
3. How will the bullpen shake out?
Despite his success in May and June, Fernando Rodney isn’t the sort of closer who tends to inspire confidence from the masses. As such, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Diamondbacks look to make a change if he runs into another rough stretch.
Will the Diamondbacks look for a closer on the trade market? Will they shift Bradley to the ninth and try to find an eighth-inning man in a trade? Or will they stick with what they have, hoping one of their internal candidates emerges as a dependable option?
4. Can they stay healthy?
This is the big wild card, of course, the factor that’s sort of taken for granted until it suddenly rears it head: health. The Diamondbacks were without Pollock for nearly two months due to a groin injury but managed to overcome his absence.
Would they be able to do the same if something were to happen to one of their key starting pitchers? Or, say, MVP-candidate Paul Goldschmidt?
As it stands, it’s hard to imagine a mostly healthy Diamondbacks roster not reaching the postseason. They just have to hope it stays that way.
5. Will they catch the Dodgers?
If the Diamondbacks emerge victorious in the NL West, they’ll assure themselves at least a short playoff series. If not, they’ll be forced to test their fate in the sudden-death scenario of a wild-card game.
It stands to reason that their place in the standings in two weeks could help guide their trade-deadline strategy. If they’re, say, four games out, perhaps pushing their chips into the center makes sense.
But if they’re still 7 1/2 games out or more, does it make sense to deal away several prospects for a veteran player whose value might be pegged to just one night – or only four at-bats – in a one-game playoff?