A third of the way through the D-backs season: By the Numbers
Jun 6, 2016, 11:07 AM | Updated: Jun 8, 2016, 11:10 am
Arizona Diamondbacks' Robbie Ray (38) walks back to the mound with a new baseball after giving up a home run to San Diego Padres' Matt Kemp, left, during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, May 27, 2016, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The Diamondbacks’ season is just beyond a third of the way completed, and team has made headlines more with its struggles than its successes.
Struggling pitching has plagued a team that was otherwise expected to be a serious contender, and a once-hopeful fan base has watched the D-backs fall to nine games under .500 at 25-34. Through 59 games, here’s the 2016 season, by the numbers:
11
The Diamondbacks are 11 games under .500 at home this year. Only the Atlanta Braves, who are tied for the worst overall record in baseball, have a worse home record. The D-backs have been swept at home three times this year, once by the Rockies in three games, by the Giants in four games and the Astros in two games.
10
The D-backs are 10 games back of the first-place Giants. They’re 25-34 (.424) through 59 games in a season in which they were expected to win, but Arizona was just 7.5 games back through 59 contests in 2015. As recently as April 30, the D-backs were just 0.5 GB.
9
The D-backs rank 9th in MLB for team batting average, sitting at .263. They also rank 9th in slugging percentage (.428) and in OPS (.753). In a league in which 10 teams make the postseason, it’s not a stretch to say Arizona’s offense has been playoff caliber.
22
The speedy wheels of the D-backs have legged out 22 triples this year, which leads MLB. Chris Owings and Jean Segura both have four, while David Peralta and Chris Hermann each have three. The D-backs are also tied for 6th in baseball with 38 stolen bases.
3
Three first basemen are ahead of Paul Goldschmidt (.261, 10 HR, 34 RBI) in NL All-Star game voting: the Dodgers’ Adrian Gonzalez (.284, 5 HR, 28 RBI), the Giants’ Brandon Belt (.298, 6 HR, 28 RBI), and the Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo (.251, 13 HR, 40 RBI). Goldschmidt has started the last two All-Star Games as the NL’s first baseman.
19
The team’s current MLB rank in average attendance is 19. On average, 26,058 fans have flocked to Chase Field each game, but some of the team’s premier home matchups – like those against the Cubs, Yankees, Pirates and Cardinals – have already been played.
The D-backs finished 23rd last year in average attendance.
4.74
The team ERA of 4.74 is ranked 26th. Arizona’s pitching staff has struggled this year, with Zack Greinke only recently coming to form and No. 2 pitcher Shelby Miller being put on the DL. The staff has allowed the fourth-most walks in baseball with 209, and its 1.44 WHIP is the league’s third-worst.
39
Brad Ziegler has 39 straight saves dating back to last season, tied for the 11th-longest streak in history. In that time, he has a 2.43 ERA. This year, Ziegler’s 11 saves have him tied for 10th-most in the NL.
23
The number of pitchers used by the D-backs this year. That’s the second most in baseball behind the Cincinnati Reds, who have sent 24 different players to the bump. The revolving door stands to reason: 16 of the D-backs’ 23 pitchers used have an ERA of four or higher.
5
Arizona has played five extra-inning games this year, totaling 15 added frames in the process. Its pitching staff has thrown the second-most innings and second-most pitches in all of baseball.
