Even June Keeps Diamondbacks in the Race

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Players of the Month

Jun 2, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt reacts in the dugout in the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Chase Field. The Diamondbacks defeated the Braves 7-6. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Goldschmidt

A regular when it comes to handing out theoretical awards here at Venom Strikes, Goldy had another elite month. Although the power numbers weren’t as gaudy (5 HR/5 2B), he still drove in more runs than any other Dbacks player this month (22). His 34 hits and 16 runs also led the ball club this month.

Goldy was walked 24 times in June, leading the majors. Goldy’s 1.042 OPS was the highest of any Arizona player in June. Goldschmidt’s finest performance of the month was his 4-for-5 effort against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 10th. There he scored scored twice, hit a double, homerun, and drove in two runs. Of the 28 games Goldy played in June, he failed to reach base in ONE of them. After that game, he started his current 11-game hitting streak.

Jun 29, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Yasmany Tomas celebrates after hitting a two run home run in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Yasmany Tomas

When you take a look around the National League rookie landscape, Joc Pederson leads with homeruns, Kris Bryant leads with RBI, and Tomas leads in batting average. Tomas’ 28 hits and 5 doubles ranked 2nd among the Dbacks in June. Tomas hit .311 in June to settle his season average to .316. In his first three months in the MLB, Tomas hasn’t registered below .310 in each of them.

Tomas’ power stroke has reared its head in a way. Tomas has hit three homers and all against the Los Angeles squads (2 vs Dodgers, 1 vs Angels). Tomas now as 4 homers on the season. Tomas, like Goldy, also produced a 4 hit game. It came against Colorado and he scored on two occasions while knocking a double. In a weaker rookie class, Tomas would easily be the talk of the MLB town.

Jun 24, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Brad Ziegler (29) and Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia (8) celebrate the win over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Diamondbacks defeated the Rockies 8-7. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Brad Ziegler

Isn’t he amazing? The sole reason that the Dbacks bullpen isn’t an absolute dumpster fire has been Ziegler. Although it’s difficult to measure a reliever’s worth, that is not the case with Ziegler. A season ERA of 1.32 is all that really needs to be said. On the season, Arizona’ bullpen has registered a 3.83 ERA, good for 13th in the NL. The bullpen leads the NL in losses and has given up the 2nd most runs in the NL.

Ziegler isn’t part of that mess. In June, Ziegler made 11 appearances and only surrendered 1 run (0.82 ERA). Ziegler converted on all 9 save opportunities. Towards the end of June, Ziegler also started to appear in games that weren’t save situations, a clear indication in the distrust in the rest of the bullpen. Ironically, the Dbacks led the NL with 12 saves in June. (Chafin, Hudson and Reed also collected one)

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