Diamondbacks Live and Die By the Longball in Series Loss to Dodgers

The Arizona Diamondbacks played a nail biting series against the Dodgers, dropping the three game set in heartbreaking fashion.

The D-backs managed to outscore their rivals to the west 14-13 throughout the three game set, but failed to capitalize, turning what could have been a series victory, or even sweep, into a loss. This keeps Arizona in fourth place in the National League West, despite a 26-24 record.

Here are three takeaways from the three game set.

1: Lived and Died by the Longball

Of course a duel between two of the best offensive clubs in the National League would feature some fireworks, but the Diamondbacks, more than usual, seemed to live and die by the home run.

Throughout the series the D-backs crushed six longballs, with three alone coming in Monday's opener. The Dodgers, likewise, hit four home runs, nearly going toe to toe in that regard.

The opening game is the most obvious example of this series' dramatics. Each club launched three home runs, with Arizona etching out a 9-5 victory.

The following evening however, down 1-0 in the 9th inning it was once again the home run which came to the rescue for the D-backs, as Gabriel Moreno launched his third blast of the year, and second of the series. Corbin Carroll, not long after, followed this up with a two-run homer, giving his club the lead in extra innings. While this was ultimately short-lived, life was given by the team's young hitters with over the fence power.

The series finale flipped things on its head as for most of the ballgame the only scoring was a Ketel Marte solo shot, his seventh of the year. It was only when Corbin Burnes, who has been excellent, allowing only three hits in the ballgame, left a hanging slider to Teoscar Hernandez, that the spear was turned back on the Diamondbacks.

A three run home run, which ultimately sealed the series for the Dodgers, muddied up Burnes' excellent pitching line.

While relying on the homer isn't traditionally how the D-backs play, that's been the case for much of 2025. Their 70 homers ranks fourth in MLB. Meanwhile their situational hitting, a strength last year, has been well below average this year. In 2024 they led the league with a .285 average with runners in scoring position. After going 3-for-20 in those situations this series they're now batting .231 and rank 24.

2: Continued Bullpen Theatrics

The last thing D-backs fans want to hear about is a failing bullpen, but it seems that history is once again repeating itself, albeit in this case largely due to injury.

During the series opener Ryan Thompson was called upon to close out the game with a six run lead, securing a simple victory. The right-hander however failed to do so, even forcing manager Torey Lovullo to make a move to his interim closer Shelby Miller, who cleaned up Thompsons mess.

In his last five outings the sidewinder has only completed 3.1 innings, surrendering 14 hits, and 9 earned runs. Over that span he's only struck out four, and allowed one walk. A key part of Arizona's 2023 and 2024 bullpen's, Thompson is given a longer leesh than most, but he is pushing the length as his struggles continue.

Game two was set for a picture-perfect finish, with game-tying and go-ahead home runs from young Diamondbacks stars, and closer Shelby Miller in for the save in the 10th with a two-run lead. This didn't go to plan.

A double from Tommy Edman on a pitch nearly in the opposite batter's box brought the Dodgers within one before Miller was able to record an out. Intentional walks to Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman set the stage for Will Smith, who was promptly plunked by a pitch, driving in the game-tying run. Not long after, a deep drive to center by Max Muncy sent Dodgers fans home with a smile.

Miller has been a revelation for the Diamondbacks, and a hero in the absence of both A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez. His struggles have been few and relatively far between, but this is a blemish that he wont quickly forget.

3: Limited Role for Jordan Lawlar

The organization's top prospect was called up to much fanfare a little over a week ago, but has found little playing time and struggled to hit when given the opportunity. Called up on May 12, he has made just three starts and entered one game as a late inning replacement. He's hitless in 10 at bats with seven strikeouts and one walk.

Michael McDermott of Arizona Diamondbacks On SI detailed how Lawlar had struggled at Triple-A with breaking pitches from right-hand pitchers, batting just. Wrote McDermott:

Against right-handed breaking balls, Lawlar is hitting .152 with a .316 slugging percentage and a .215 wOBA. That significantly lags behind the PCL's right-on-right averages of .237, .400, and .305 respectively. It's clear that handling same-handed spin is his biggest weakness at the plate, one that can be exploited by major league pitchers.

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Of the 44 pitches Lawlar has seen, 30 of them, or 68% have been either breaking or offspeed with just 14 fastballs in the mix. The swing and miss has been prolific.

Torey Lovullo said at the time of the call up that Lawlar could get three to four starts per week, but each game is crucial and Lawlar simply is not a better option than any of the starters. Bench them just to get Lawlar development time is not a winning formula.

The Diamondbacks are in a quandary. Obviously 11 plate appearances is too few to judge a player or give up on him. At the same time the issues Lawlar has needed more time to overcome in Triple-A and he's not likely to get the required at bats in MLB to be able to figure things out against breaking pitches.