Diamondbacks Missed Golden Opportunity to Sweep the Rockies

The Arizona Diamondbacks walk away with a hard-fought series win over the Rockies. While the series featured more drama than you'd typically expect for a team that's expected to contend against a team on a historical run of futility. At the same time, they picked up a pair of shutout wins and were an epic bullpen meltdown away from a sweep.

Even with a tougher series than most imagined based on the direction of the two teams, the Diamondbacks still pick up two games in the standings on the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, who were both swept at home this weekend. Arizona is now 25-22 going into their showdown with the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

Here are the three main takeaways from the series.

1. Playing Down to their Opponent

The Diamondbacks' primary concern for this series was playing down to the Rockies, who entered the series 7-36. The series' first game was a well-executed ballgame, with building innings and good situational hitting. They scored runs in three of the four innings that rookie left-hander Carson Palmquist pitched in, cruising to a 8-0 win.

However, the execution was lacking in the final two games. In both games, they had an opportunity to knock out a Rockies starter in the first inning, but let him wiggle off the hook. In those two games, they made the Rockies throw a combined 64 pitches in the first inning, and were likely one hit away from forcing Colorado to get into their bullpen.

It didn't matter as much when they faced Germán Márquez, as Arizona plated seven runs and chased him after three long innings. Against Chase Dollander, he recovered and got into a rhythm to keep Colorado in the game. Dollander retired 13 of the final 16 hitters he faced before getting chased by a Ketel Marte single with two outs in the fifth.

Execution was lacking at times, especially with the pitching in the second game. For the first time in franchise history, the Diamondbacks lost a game when they scored 12 runs on Saturday. They had won the other 150 games over the first 27 seasons of the franchise's existence. Arizona's bullpen was handed a five-run lead and only got three outs before surrendering it.

In the third game of the series, offensive opportunities were fewer and farther between. After that first inning, the Diamondbacks got a runner to second base just twice the rest of the way. Collectively, the team went 0-for-6 with three strikeouts, two lazy fly balls, and a ground ball double play. While the pitching was good enough to make that one run stand, failing to put away Colorado on offense nearly resulted in a disaster.

In the series finale, luck was on the Diamondbacks' side on the game's final play. Michael Toglia's line drive, which came off the bat at 104.3 MPH, was hit directly at shortstop Geraldo Perdomo. With an xBA of .840, there was a good chance it would have given the Rockies a 2-1 lead and potentially a much different series result.

Starting Pitching Set the Tone in the Series, Both Good and Bad

The Rockies entered the series ranking last in OPS+ and second-to-last in runs per game. For the Diamondbacks rotation, with Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen, and Merrill Kelly starting it was an opportunity to string together some quality starts.

In their two wins in the series, the Diamondbacks did not allow a single run and allowed a total of five hits. Burnes and Kelly continued their dominance on the mound, combining for 13 scoreless innings with just three hits allowed and 21 strikeouts. While both pitchers would tell you they walked too many hitters, with six total, they kept the Rockies from building any offensive momentum.

In the 13 innings that Burnes and Kelly pitched, the Rockies only had a runner reach second base in two of them. The duo held Colorado to 0-for-4 with just a walk and two strikeouts. Kelly's only at-bat with a runner in scoring position on Sunday, he fielded a comebacker and erased the baserunner in a rundown.

In the one game they lost, Zac Gallen struggled with the long ball. He surrendered two home runs to the first three hitters and found himself trailing 3-0. Against a team that's been struggling to find positives all season long, having success against a pitcher with Gallen's track record may be the only thing they needed to stay in the game.

Gallen ultimately finished with six runs on four home runs allowed in five innings. Like Burnes and Kelly, he left with a lead. However, the Rockies were able to bang around the Diamondbacks bullpen. Jalen Beeks and Ryan Thompson only got four outs and allowed seven runs, which turned an 11-6 lead to a 13-11 deficit.

How the three games ultimately unfolded is a harsh reminder that good pitchers need to execute on the mound, whether it's the Rockies or the Dodgers standing in the batter's box. That should be the message for manager Torey Lovullo to give to his players, no matter how accomplished their opponent is.

Diamondbacks Bullpen is Still a Work in Progress

Since April 18, the Diamondbacks have had to deal with a patchwork bullpen. Back in March, general manager Mike Hazen said he felt good about his back five relievers entering the season. Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk are on the injured list while Kevin Ginkel and Kendall Graveman spent more than a month on the IL. Joe Mantiply and Ryan Thompson have struggled on the mound.

As such, the team has had to go to Plan B with the bullpen, to mixed results. Shelby Miller and Jalen Beeks have stepped up to provide quality innings for the bullpen out of nowhere, softening the blow somewhat. Over the last couple of weeks, Miller has become the de facto closer for the team, as he's converted 4-of-6 save opportunities.

Ginkel worked in all three games of the series and is starting to round into form. He faced eight hitters and got seven outs, with four via strikeout. When he was first activated, there were more 93-94 MPH readings on his fastball. In his last three outings, he's been more 95-96, a good sign that his shoulder is healthy. As Hazen and Lovullo look for more solutions with their bullpen, Ginkel seems like a safe bet to resume his high-leverage role.

Thompson could be the next reliever on the hot seat. He's been scored upon in three of his last four appearances, and seven of 18 on the season. His ground ball rate is down nearly 17% from last season, from 61.4% to 44.6%, the average exit velocity against him is a career-worst 90.6 MPH, and opposing hitters have a 12.5% barrel rate. Those all point to a declining quality of contact for a pitcher who relies on soft, ground-ball contact to get outs.

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