By the numbers: Trends from the D-backs’ opening series
Apr 1, 2019, 2:40 PM | Updated: 3:38 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed follows through on a swing for a two-run double during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Sunday, March 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
(AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
With the offseason finally behind them, the Arizona Diamondbacks started the regular season by losing three out of four to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Although there have only been four games, the D-backs have posted unbelievable numbers – both good and bad.
One thing the D-backs struggled to do this weekend was prevent runs. The starting staff and the bullpen for the D-backs under preformed and failed to give the offense a chance come back in games.
The starting pitching also struggled to provide length to their starts, forcing D-backs manager Torey Lovullo to overwork his bullpen.
As for the offense, the D-backs did not have a bad first series at the plate by any means, but they often found themselves scoring when it was too little too late.
Here’s a look at some of the numbers that stood out from the D-backs’ first series of the 2019 season.
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5.1
Starting pitcher Zack Godley was the only D-backs starter to pitch more than five innings this weekend, going for 5.1 innings on Saturday. Altogether, the starters only combined to pitch 18.1 innings of the 37 total innings in the four-game set.
9.24
Once again, there have only been four games, but the D-backs rank 29th in all of baseball with team ERA of 9.24. Only the Texas Rangers (9.33) posted a worse ERA than the D-backs during Opening Weekend.
19
After finishing 2018 ranked second-best in runs allowed, the D-backs bullpen gave up a league-leading 19 runs this weekend against the Dodgers.
14
The Dodgers launched 14 home runs off the D-backs this weekend, including an MLB record eight on Opening Day. In that first game, starter Zack Greinke surrendered four long balls in just 3.2 innings before being replaced by relief pitcher Matt Koch. Last season, the D-backs gave up their 14th home run in the 17th game of the season.
.253
Following their first series under new hitting coaches Darnell Coles and Eric Hinske, the D-backs currently rank eighth in baseball in batting average with a team average of .253. At the end of last season, the D-backs finished with a ranking of 27th in batting average with a posting of .235.
22
The D-backs scored a total of 22 runs over the first four games, good for fourth best in the National League.
6 hours, 5 minutes
Friday night’s game reached the 13th inning before catcher Carson Kelly knocked in what would become the game-winning run for the D-backs. The game’s official run time was listed at six hours and five minutes, the longest regular season game in Dodger Stadium history. Last year, the Dodgers and D-backs participated in the longest game in Chase Field history, a five-hour, 45-minute marathon of a game.
9
After starting the 2018 season with nine straight series wins, the D-backs lost their first series of the new season.
