2023 Diamondbacks: The tale of June
The Diamondbacks concluded the month of June with a 6-2 victory over the (Los Angeles) Halos last night.
Youngster Tommy Henry pitched 5.2 solid innings giving up just 1 earned run and striking out 8. Yes, the best player in the game ( Shohei Ohtani ) hit a 493-foot bomb off of him. But hey, you can laugh about it after what Henry did to the Angels lineup.
After a rough start to the season, Henry is 2-0 in his last 3 starts boasting an outstanding 1.99 ERA over that time.
After Gurriel Jr. hit a grand slam in the top of the 2nd, Arizona never looked back picking up their 25th road victory of the season.
The Diamondbacks finished June on a high note. Let’s take a look back at how the rest of the month went…
Diamondbacks team performance in June
Arizona finished with an overall record of 16-12 in the month of June. They went 6-8 at home and 9-5 on the road. Heading into July, they still own the best record in the NL West (49-34).
Offensively, the D-backs were red hot in June. In the NL, they finished 3rd in runs scored, 1st in doubles, 2nd in OBP, and 3rd in slugging percentage.
They were also more patient at the plate compared to the beginning of the year as they ranked 3rd in walks.
From a pitching point of view, June was, well, average. In the NL, Arizona’s pitching staff was middle of the road in ERA, walks allowed, and strikeouts.
Pitching will be the focus at the trade deadline no doubt. The Diamondbacks starters have a collective ERA of 4.65 which is 21st in the MLB.
Overall, a pretty good month for the Snakes…
Diamondbacks best June performers
It was the month of Ketel Marte.
In 25 games played, Marte got on base 44% of the time and he had an OPS of 1.040. Both his OBP and OPS were 3rd best in the NL for the month of June.
Marte led the D-backs in runs, RBIs, walks, and walk-to-strikeout ratio. Without a doubt, Marte was the best player for Arizona last month.
Another offensive hero was Christian Walker. In 26 games played, he racked up 19 extra-base hits as well as 19 RBIs.
He led the entire league in doubles last month and his OPS (1.026) was 5th in the NL.
For the pitchers, Zac Gallen led the way. In 5 starts, he went 3-0 with a 3.69 ERA. His strikeout numbers weren’t pretty but he averaged less than 2 walks per 9 innings pitched.
Diamondbacks worst June performers
It’s no secret why Pavin Smith recently got sent back to the minors. His June was… rough.
In 21 games Smith went 9-69 for a measly batting average of .130. He often put the ball in play, he just couldn’t find holes. With a June OPS of .476, Pavin will have some things to work on in Reno.
Another player that has some things to sort out is catcher Gabriel Moreno. After a hot start to the season, Moreno has cooled down in an ugly way.
In June, Gabriel went 11-58 (.190) with an OPS of .479. He also struck out nearly 29% of the time and he only drew 4 walks all month.
Another player that had a June to forget is SP Zach Davies. In 6 June starts, Davies went 1-3 with a 6.90 ERA.
In those starts the opposition hit .285 against him. Also, in 3 of those starts, Davies gave up 6 or more earned runs.
Let’s hope these players can bounce back in a big way during independence month…