Well after the first two series, the outlook for the Diamondbacks is at about 25%, like their record. I know it is a small sample size but let me give you four team numbers and we will look at these numbers every month and see where the Diamondbacks fall as the year progresses. After two series they are 28th in MLB in runs with 15, 8th in ERA with a respectable 2.95, the WHIP is 21st at 1.36 and the Diamondbacks team batting average is 30th out of 30 teams with a .140 average. All of those numbers must improve, or they will win about 25% of their games all season, and no one wants that.
The rest of the month of April gives the Diamondbacks one four-game series and five, three-game series for a total of 16 games. I am not going to sugarcoat this, the first month of the Diamondback season is rough. Six of the games, a home and home with the New York Mets, are against a team that added more money in the offseason than the Diamondbacks' entire payroll. Chris Bassitt fanned 8 in 6 innings, a guy no one had ever heard of, Tylor Megill dialed up 99 with a wicked slider and above-average change-up. Then Mad Max was his usual and Carlos Carrasco held the Nationals to 1 run in 5 and two-third innings. And that does not count their offense which is 7th in batting average in the entire MLB with .255, and 3rd in runs with 34. This, with the 2-4 record from the Padres series will put the Dbacks at 3-9.
The month of opponents does not get any easier with six games against 2 other 2021 playoff teams in the Dodgers at home for 3 games and 3 games in St. Louis. I know the Dodgers currently are in 3rd place in the division, but we all know the $300MM plus team from LA has more talent than that. The trip to St. Louis, I believe, will be an early key to the possible turnaround the Dbacks are hoping for. It is also hard to judge the Cardinals when their first opponent was the Pirates. Then, against Kansas City, they had 2 games postponed and only beat the Royals by a run in the only game played. Cardinals scored 25 runs in their four games but also gave up 4 runs per game with an ERA at an even 4.00. The runs put them at 14th in MLB and the ERA places them at 14th as well. I am going to say that by the last series of the month they will have a few of their problems ironed out, especially on the offensive side of the ball and all three games will be close.
Now, the series that could be the saving grace of the month is the one with the Washington Nationals. Remember the four categories above? Well in seven games against the Mets, and Braves the Nationals were 18th in batting average with .221, they only scored 26 total runs in the seven games and their pitching was even worse with their ERA placing them 28th in MLB with 5,37 and their WHIP at a league worse 30th at 1.63. The Diamondbacks are a team that has nowhere to go but up, but the Nationals feel like a team that is trending down. I think the Diamondbacks will be 9-13 at the end of April.
What do you think the record of your Arizona Diamondbacks will be? Give me your best educated guess in the comments below.