Teammates congratulate Arizona’s J.D. Martinez (center) after he belted a grand slam Thursday to give the Diamondbacks a 4-0 win over the Cardinals in St. Louis.
Tough stretch will be a test of playoff readiness
The 2017 Diamondbacks have surprised, steamrolled and staggered. Now comes their moment of truth. Starting with Thursday’s game in St. Louis, they will play 20 games in 21 days, including a 10-day road trip; six games against the reigning World Series champions; and seven games against two teams that entered the day a combined 73 games over.500.
By nightfall on Aug. 17, you will know much more about their staying power.
It’s also a defining moment for Torey Lovullo, the manager forging an excellent debut season in Arizona. He is prepared and charismatic. He communicates at an elite level. He effortlessly
put his arm around Zack Greinke in the dugout the other night, invading the private bubble that shields an ace pitcher from the rest of us.
Along the way, Lovullo has rankled some fans with his lineup decisions, scheduling predetermined rest days for a small group of impact players, most notably Paul Goldschmidt, Jake Lamb and A.J. Pollock. Two of those players have shown a tendency to fade in the second half. One of them is susceptible to leg injuries.
Lovullo’s strategy was likely fortified by the upcoming slate of games and should serve the team well over the next three weeks, when there’s little margin for error.
Baseball has changed dramatically over the past two decades. General Managers are now culled from the Ivy League, not the old-school pool of former players. The game is being rebooted on analytics, defensive shifts, power arms, dynamic bullpens and an emphasis on alleviating player fatigue.
Lovullo’s insistence on mandated rest is more trend than exception, and his team needs strong finishes from their three best offensive weapons. Nevertheless, this stretch could be Lovullo’s shining moment.
When the Diamondbacks were 21 games over .500, the playoffs were almost a statistical certainty. But they’ve sprung some leaks. The rotation hasn’t been as stellar. Hitters are striking out too much and leaving far too many runners in scoring position. That awful night in Los Angeles was a sucker punch for everyone, when Fernando Rodney handed the Dodgers a victory because he couldn’t throw the ball over the plate.
The team’s swagger was compromised, just like when the Cardinals lost their season opener to a Patriots team that didn’t have Tom Brady. The vibe around the Diamondbacks hasn’t been the same since.
Credit goes to Greinke, who is 6-1 when pitching after a loss, fulfilling one of his primary roles as ace of the staff. He is proving that quirky is cool when you’re a Cy Young Award candidate. He’s making people forget about his enormous contract, which might be the most impressive feat of them all.
Credit goes to General Manager Mike Hazen, whose new-school approach is just what the organization needed. He acquired the best rental bat on the market in J.D. Martinez, who has four hits at Chase Field and three of them left the yard. Just as Lovullo has focused on keeping Goldschmidt energized, Hazen has given the MVP candidate real protection in the lineup.
The front-office overhaul and the quality of the new manager have given Diamondbacks fans real reason for hope. The team badly needs sustainable success, especially in a market dominated by NFL fans. For proof, look at the poor Rockies.
In Colorado, a sports radio station known as Denver Sports 760 just changed its name to Orange and Blue 760 and will devote every minute of airtime to the Broncos. That’s what happens to a mediocre baseball team in a football market.
That’s why it’s also important for Arizona’s baseball team to seize the moment and declare their intentions over this 20-game gauntlet. There was a time when a playoff berth wasn’t necessary for the 2017 Diamondbacks to post a successful season, but the fan base has grown and so have expectations. An August collapse could leave a nasty stain on the tablecloth.
So let’s hope the new manager knew exactly what he was doing when not penciling in marquee names to his team's lineup card.
Most assuredly, the Diamondbacks won’t win a World Series in the next few months, meaning Lovullo will never top Bob Brenly as best rookie manager in franchise history. But his foresight could be a stroke of genius, bracing a team for its moment of truth.