D’Back Offense is Still MIA
By Thomas Lynch
When you look at the overall hitting statistics of the Arizona Diamondbacks, your eyes may be deceiving you. Sure, they are listed as 10th in all of Major League Baseball with a team batting average of .260 and are 14th in runs scored with 305. However, if you have watched this team play over the last two weeks, you know that they are anything but an offensive juggernaut. Over the past 14 games, the team is hitting .239 with a sad OBP of .301.
A little more pop from Cody Ross would be nice. Image: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Clearly, there have been some good things going on with the D’back offense, namely the seasons of Paul Goldschmidt and Gerardo Parra. It also seems as though Miguel Montero has finally escaped his season-long slump as he is hitting .408 over his past seven games. However, when the primary corner outfield tandem of Cody Ross and Jason Kubel is combining for six home runs and 38 RBI’s in a total of 318 at-bats, you know things aren’t great at the plate. The third player in the rotating trio, A.J. Pollock, is hitting a robust .176 for the month of June. A big yes goes out to Martin Prado for his two-run home run last night; too bad it was his first dinger since April 29th. His on base average is still below .300. After a sizzling start, Didi Gregorius has gone the other way with a 5 for 32 stretch over the past ten games to drop his bating average below .300. They have scored more than five runs in a game only once since June 6th and have scored a total of 11 runs over the past five games disappointing a multitude of fans who would like free tacos. Outside of Goldy, doesn’t it feel as though this team does not get any hits with runners in scoring position?
I know I am using a small sample size and perhaps I am overreacting a bit. The D’backs desperately need Aaron Hill back which could happen within the next week or so. However, the outfield offensive woes along with those at shortstop could very well continue for most of the remainder of the season. With the Cincinnati Reds coming to town and then a road trip East, the offense needs some juice to avoid letting the team fall out of first place.
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