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The connected team: Arizona Diamondbacks NLDS takeaways

The Arizona Diamondbacks swept their division rival LA Dodgers at home to advance to the NLCS for the first time since 2007.

By Alex D'Agostino |
Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald cannonballs into the Chase Field pool to celebrate an NLDS sweep of the LA Dodgers
Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald cannonballs into the Chase Field pool to celebrate an NLDS sweep of the LA Dodgers / Elsa/GettyImages
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On Aug. 12, 2023, the Diamondbacks lost a 10-5 slugfest to the San Diego Padres, losing their ninth straight game. They were 57-59, two games below .500 for the first time all season.

This stretch marked the first time they had been below .500 at all since game since April 6, the seventh game of the season.

At that point, it was difficult to find anyone who had faith that this team, who had led the division mere weeks prior, could make a deep playoff run. Even finishing the season in the playoffs, but on a 4-game losing streak and a weak offensive showing looked like a bad omen for October.

But here they are. Here are some takeaways from another near-flawless round of Diamondbacks playoff baseball:

Takeaway 1: The Diamondbacks can beat you in many ways

The D-backs have had a reputation as of late, even fueling their playoff slogan, "Embrace the Chaos." But the Diamondbacks have shown in the NLDS, and in the entire postseason so far, that they don't just live and die by one brand of baseball.

In the Wild Card round, they scored "Chaos" runs, put on defensive clinics, and attacked Milwaukee's bullpen. Although a surprising upset, they played the way many expected them to: squeaking out runs, coming back from deficits, and winning wild games in later innings.

The NLDS showed that they can adapt to whoever their opponent is, and they don't have to rely on outsmarting or out-scrapping their opponents. From game 1 of the NLDS, the team showed that they can out-slug even the mighty Dodgers, and they can play with a lead, too.

The D-backs hit nine home runs in the series against LA, a number one might expect from the Braves or Phillies. They lead the postseason in home runs, with 13 over the last five games, including an MLB-record four in one inning of game three against Dodgers starter Lance Lynn.

Gabriel Moreno hit what appeared to be a home run, but it was called foul, only for him to send one out on the very next pitch.

And they didn't wait to get started, either. The D-backs ambushed Dodgers starters early in games. After chasing Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw after just one out, tallying six runs, they proceeded to similarly attack the others.

Lance Lynn held the longest start of any Dodger starter in the series, going 2.2 innings, however, Dodger starters went a collective 4.2 innings, allowing 16 hits and 13 earned runs.

The D-backs took hold of Kershaw's blowup start to show they aren't just squeaking by, they can, in fact, produce blowouts. They kept their feet on the gas, ending the game with 13 hits and an 11-2 final score.

But the tone shifted in later games. Although they still dominated Dodger starters, they showed they can also put up smaller leads and still hang with the best. D-backs starters delivered consistently, allowing just two collective runs over three starts.

The D-backs showed they aren't a one-dimensional team. They will beat you however they need to.

Takeaway 2: A Connected Diamondbacks Team is a Dangerous Team

We heard it in manager Torey Lovullo's Wild Card postgame speech. "A connected team is a f---king dangerous team. We are f---king dangerous."

(WARNING: Explicit Language)

But what does this mean, really? Obviously, the camaraderie and brotherhood in the clubhouse is strong. We see that in their postgame celebrations and interviews, but how does that manifest on the field?

What this connected team does is pick each other up to go the distance. At the dark point of the season, it felt as if every time a player or group got hot, someone struggled enough to negate it. In the postseason, this has flipped entirely.

When Brandon Pfaadt, and, to a lesser extent, Zac Gallen struggled early in the Wild Card, their team came through for them. The defense--powered by Longoria and Perdomo--limited the damage as best they could, the offense erased three and two-run deficits and the bullpen pitched 9.1 scoreless innings. When Ginkel struggled, Saalfrank got him out of the jam.

Game 3 of the NLDS illustrated this point as well. Corbin Carroll and Tommy Pham, two of the offense's top performers in the postseason, went a combined 0-7, but Geraldo Perdomo, who had only collected one base hit so far, and had only 6 homers on the year, began the scoring rally with a solo shot off Lance Lynn, snowballing into a 4-0 lead from three more homers.

When Ryan Thompson, who has been stellar as a Diamondback, allowed four hits and two runs in the seventh, Saalfrank got him through the inning, while Ginkel and Sewald took it the distance, through the heart of the Dodgers lineup.

The team continues to step up when their teammates need them, and the connection between these young players and the veterans is demonstratively strong. Lovullo is right, a connected team is a dangerous team, and the Diamondbacks are dangerous.

Takeaway 3: The Diamondbacks Belong Here

Many a keyboard warrior might complain about how the MLB playoff format provides disadvantages to teams like the Dodgers, forcing them to sit and wait while the D-backs ride their momentum from the Wild Card. But you cannot argue that the road for the D-backs has not been a challenge, and they've overcome it in glorious fashion.

Arizona has yet to lose a postseason game. They are 5-0 in the playoffs, 4-0 in road games, and have outscored their opponents 30-11 in that stretch. They have out-hit their opponents 44-38, with 13 home runs.

They might just be "hot," but isn't that what good teams do? Aren't the good teams the ones that can find a way to be scorching hot when they need to the most? The Diamondbacks belong here, and the bats (hopefully) don't look to be going anywhere soon.

Embrace the Chaos, and go take home the pennant.

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