The Diamondbacks’ spoiled first-inning offensive success
Jul 29, 2016, 7:30 AM | Updated: 11:29 am
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
In a perfect world, the Diamondbacks would be satisfied their bats have been cooking during recent first innings.
Arizona has scored in the opening frame in nine of its last 10 while batting .458 — usually good signs a win could follow.
It hasn’t been the case.
Arizona has won only three of those last nine games in which it scored a first-inning run. For the season, the Diamondbacks have gone 13-17 in games it led heading to the second.
That 43.3 winning percentage is a far cry from the league’s 2016 winning percentage of 68.0 for teams that enter the second inning with a lead.
That’s unfortunate for a team that is third in MLB with a .300 batting average in the first inning this season. Extrapolated, the D-backs’ opening frame production would score 6.06 runs per nine, well above the 4.85 league average.
Of course, pitching problems are to blame for many of the recent failures.
Runs, after all, don’t equate to taking a lead. In five of the last nine games in which Arizona has scored in the first, the opposing team did the D-backs a run better heading into the second inning.
Then there’s another issue. The offensive going mysteriously dry. Three of the games in which the Diamondbacks scored a first-inning run during the current stretch, they failed to score another run — and another time they didn’t score again until trailing 10-1 before a three-run jack in the ninth.
The offensive has often disapeared after the early success. Three games in which the Diamondbacks scored a first-inning run during the current stretch were followed by scoreless baseball.
A look back at the last 10 games.
July 17, vs. Dodgers — The D-backs built a 3-0 lead after the first inning and eventually had a 6-0 advantage heading into the eighth before holding on for a 6-5 win.
July 18, vs. Blue Jays — Arizona took a 1-0 lead in the first frame but went scoreless from there, falling 5-1.
July 20, vs. Blue Jays — The Blue Jays struck first with two first-inning runs themselves, but Arizona answered with a run in the bottom of the frame. The D-backs trailed 10-1 heading into the ninth, where a Tuffy Gosewisch three-run jack only made the final score look less ugly.
July 22, at Reds — Two first-inning runs by Arizona were quickly answered by three runs for Cincinnati, which would add a run in each of the sixth, seventh and eighth while holding the D-backs scoreless after the first.
July 23, at Reds — Again, Arizona knocked in a run atop the first but was answered by the Reds, who this time punched in three runs in the bottom of the first. They would score three in the third and again keep the Diamondbacks off the board for the rest of the game for a 6-1 win.
July 24, at Reds — For the third game in a row, Arizona scored in the first only to trail 2-1 heading into the second. This time, Arizona had enough pop to go ahead 9-5 when a Reds rally fell short for a 9-8 Diamondbacks victory.
July 25, at Brewers — The only game of the last 10 without a first-frame run by the D-backs. Milwaukee led 1-0 after the inning and went on to win 7-2.
July 26, at Brewers — See a trend? Arizona scored two runs in the top of the first. Milwaukee scored three en route to a win.
July 27, at Brewers — Arizona scored a season-high five runs in the first and held Milwaukee scoreless en route to an 8-2 win.
July 28, at Brewers — The Diamondbacks led 2-0 after the first frame and Milwaukee tied it up in the third before going on to win 6-4.