The Ain’t No Fang Podcast: D-backs split with Dodgers to open 2023

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ opening series against the Los Angeles Dodgers played out similarly to that meme of former NBA star Alonzo Mourning sitting on the bench, staring out in dismay before coming to terms with the situation.

Arizona salvaged the weekend with a 2-1 win on Sunday after lopsidedly dropping the first two of three games.

A 2-2 split against the longtime top dog in the division can be seen as a win, but when you dig a little deeper, the series in many ways did not go according to plan.

They may have the same record, but the Dodgers outscored the Diamondbacks 20-7. Both of Arizona’s wins came in 2-1 ballgames.

The offense is off to a slow start. Arizona had only one walk as a team in four games. Only two home runs. Only one player comfortable at the plate (Christian Walker). Not to mention, Zac Gallen’s uncharacteristic outing to start the year.

Plus, we learned that Madison Bumgarner is being evaluated with arm fatigue after only one game.

Yet there were moments of levity with late-game execution, including from the bullpen. Jake McCarthy’s go-ahead bunt single will be remembered all year.

Overall, while a split series seems like a positive against the ever-dominant Dodgers, many numbers weren’t all that inspiring to start this season.

But hey, we’re only four games into the year. It’s an extremely small sample size. So … this is fine … right?