Diamondbacks Manager Blames Himself for Team's Struggles

It's no secret that the Arizona Diamondbacks have wildly underperformed expectations in the 2025 season. It's also no secret that manager Torey Lovullo has come under fire from fans for the results on the field.

That disappointment is very understandable. It's also being felt by the D-backs, by the clubhouse, front office and Lovullo himself.

Those struggles have forced GM Mike Hazen to sell off critical members of their roster and clubhouse at the recent trade deadline.

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On a recent interview with Arizona Sports 98.7's Burns & Gambo Show, Lovullo readily shouldered the responsibility for the way Arizona's season has progressed.

Diamondbacks' Torey Lovullo Takes Responsibility for Team's Struggles

"The way I look at it is I could have, of course, done a better job in several areas. ... I love defense. I love pitching and defense. That's who I am in my core," Lovullo said.

"When we lose a game, it's my fault. I am responsible for what happens here," Lovullo said.

That defense has been one of the most glaring issues with a D-backs club that has generally been near the top of MLB's elite defensive teams.

In 2025, Arizona has committed the 12th-most errors in baseball (56). They made the fewest errors in all of baseball in 2024 (62), for an MLB-leading .989 fielding percentage.

Part of that may be due to certain players not being on the field — for example, three-time Gold Glove first baseman Christian Walker and one-time Gold Glove catcher Gabriel Moreno.

But Lovullo acknowledged that the identity he feels connected to has not shown through in the D-backs' play. It was especially evident early in the season.

"If we had won four or five of those games in April that we were projected to win, we could be in a totally different space right now. The defensive thing was a lapse, and all of it's on my watch."

"With a new infield coach [Shaun Larkin], I knew that there was going to be some growing situations, and I could have jumped in a little bit sooner, a little bit more to help facilitate that, so we didn't have those early lapses in April because all those games in April added up."

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The skipper also acknowledged the obvious mistakes. Fans are often critical of in-game decisions involving relievers, lineups and other factors.

While a blown save or offensive miscue is most often not a direct result of managerial input, Lovullo took responsibility for those outcomes, as well.

"Of course, there are pitching moves that I would love to take back. Of course, there are moves where I should have probably put in pitcher X instead of Y just to see what that outcome was. ... Maybe a little different lineup construction.

"But I can assure you, that every single day I was racking my brain to make the best things happen. I make mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes. We're going to learn from them," Lovullo said.

Lovullo's self-blame does not necessarily come from organizational pressure. The skipper said those in power above him have never isolated the responsibility solely on his shoulders.

"Never once have I ever felt like I've been on my own island and [Mike Hazen and Ken Kendrick] were pointing the finger at me," Lovullo said.

"I think that's what makes this group and this organization so unique is that when one fails, we all fail."

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