Not so long ago, the D-Backs were atop the NL West and one of the most surprising and best teams. But that dominance did not last. The D-Backs dropped to third place in the NL West, with their playoff hopes in jeopardy, and have lost six games in a row. What happened? And Should fans be worried about the D-Backs' recent slump?
Two years ago, the Diamondbacks were the league's bottom dwellers amid a rebuild. The team had an unremarkable 2022 season and was expected to win around 80 games in 2023, and still rebuilding. But they quickly exceeded those expectations once the season got going. The D-Backs' offense vastly improved thanks to ROTY frontrunner Corbin Carrol's insane combination of speed, contact, and power. Offensive improvements from Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo have also helped turn a below-average offense into one of high caliber. The pitching, however, has remained below average but not bottom-tier.
But the D-Backs have not been so dominant lately, as seen from the title. Losing 8 of their last ten games, six in a row, and dropping to third place in the NL West has caused them to lose their wild-card spot. They are now 1.5 games removed from a wild-card spot but are behind the Marlins, who are 0.5 games out of wild card.
The D-Backs have prevailed until the all-star break, so why have they slumped since then? The main issue is the massive decline in offensive production. While the Diamondbacks rank 11th in runs for the entire season, they rank 29th in runs scored for the last 15 days. The offense has also not been the only reason for the D-Backs' slump, as the pitching has ranked 29th in runs allowed for the past 15 days. It seems highly unlikely that many individual players have been slumping simultaneously, so perhaps the statistical dwindling has been the effect of the cause.
As the season progresses, the luck margin gradually thins out, resulting in plenty of surprises early on, but many of those disappear midway through the season. It is impressive that the D-Backs stayed consistent until mid-July, but their luck is running out. The Diamondbacks were not dominant solely on factors unrelated to skill, but those factors did give them quite the boost, especially because they greatly exceeded their expectations. It certainly doesn't help that the opposite effect is happening to their division rivals, Giants and Dodgers. This effect also happened to the 2018 Diamondbacks, who collapsed during the season's final month.
So, should fans be worried about the D-backs' recent slump? At this point, the answer is obvious. Fans should be worried because it is more than a slump. Even if it were just a slump, it would be difficult for the D-Backs to reobtain their wild card spot with such a competitive National League wild-card race. Ending on a good note, the Diamondbacks have shown plenty of progress this season and have a bright future ahead of them with their talented, young core.
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