The D-backs’ recent stretch of dominance: By the numbers

PHOENIX — In the Diamondbacks’ last 12 games, 10 were a victory for Arizona. They’ve won five in a row and are playing red-hot baseball, despite having gone on a lengthy road trip.

Leaving the comforts of home to visit Atlanta, Chicago and Pittsburgh weren’t a problem for the D-backs, who went 8-2 on the trip and entered Saturday a half-game behind the first-place Dodgers.

Not bad for a team that lost Paul Goldschmidt, Patrick Corbin and A.J. Pollock this offseason.

When manager Torey Lovullo addressed the media on Saturday, a day after his D-backs beat the Chicago Cubs at Chase Field 8-3, some of the topics of discussion were the progression of Taijuan Walker (Tommy John surgery), T.J. McFarland (shoulder) and other injured players.

When those players return to to the roster, Arizona will have tough decisions to make. That’s the luxury of having what right now is a good ball club.

“We are going to have some tough conversations,” Lovullo said. “That’s what happens when you’re a good baseball team: that guys are doing their job here and somebody’s getting healthy enough to return, you have to try and make the best decision possible moving forward to [make] sure this team continues to stay on the path that it’s on.”

On that note, Walker threw a bullpen on Saturday and McFarland will throw Monday in Reno, up to 50 pitches. Jake Lamb and Alex Avila are “continuing to progress,” and Avila is probably ahead of Lamb in their respective paths to getting healthy.

But in the meantime, the D-backs have been playing good baseball. Here’s their last 12 games, by the numbers:

10

In the D-backs’ last 12 games leading up to Saturday, Arizona held opponents to four or fewer runs in a game 10 times. Nine of those instances were D-backs victories.

3.00

D-backs starting pitchers have pitched to a 3.00 ERA. Every starting pitcher pitched at least twice, and Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray pitched three times. Zack Godley was scheduled to take the bump on Saturday.

1.168

The pitching staff as a whole has owned a 1.168 WHIP. On five different occasions, D-backs relievers issued no walks in a ballgame.

5

It’s been somewhat of a busy stretch for the bullpen, which has had to pitch four or more innings in a game five different times. The D-backs went 4-1 in those games, though.

.299 

The D-backs’ offense has hit .299 as a team in the 12-game stretch, smacking 15 home runs. Arizona had double-digit hits in seven of the 12 games and scored double-digit runs twice in a four-game sweep of the Pirates this week.

In all of 2019, the D-backs are hitting .274, the second-highest team batting average in MLB behind only the Astros. Their 149 runs scored is third-most in baseball.

.400

Christian Walker has played all 12 games and hit .400 with four home runs, nine RBI, six doubles and an OPS of 1.215.

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