The Arizona Diamondbacks have a 38-40 record, and are 1.0 games behind the Padres for the third National League Wild Card spot. They're also in third place in the NL West, 9.5 games behind the first place Dodgers, with those same Padres in second place in the division.
The D-backs are 13-8 in the month of June, having taken advantage of a softer spot in their schedule. What we're doing here today is looking at the strength of schedule between now and the July 30th trade deadline.
The reason for that is simple. Mike Hazen and his front office will be evaluating the team, and their chances to get back to the postseason. What they do in the run up to the trade deadline will be determined by the team's performance over the nest five weeks, and the results they get.
There are 29 games between June 25th, when the D-backs face the Twins at home, and July 29th, the last game before the deadline against the Washington Nationals. A cursory glance at the teams on the schedule shows some very tough opponents, such as the Twins, Dodgers, Padres and Braves.
However it's important to note the home and road record of the D-backs opponents. 17 of those games are at home and 12 are on the road. The table below shows the D-backs 17 home opponents records on the road, and their road opponents record at home.
The W-L totals in the table below are for the opponents record either home or away, depending on where the game will be played. As can be seen, the cumulative road records of the team's the D-backs will play at chase is just .451. The 12 road games on the other hand will be against teams with a cumulative home record of .571.
The next table shows the opponents in the order they will be played on the schedule. The W-L are once again the records of those opponents by by the relevant home or away venue.
So for example, the Minnesota Twins are 43-35 overall, but 20-19 on the road. That road record for the Twins is the one we're looking at. The total record of the opponents comes out to exactly .500.
Viewed through this lens, as opposed to just to the total records of the D-backs' upcoming opponents, makes the schedule seem a little less daunting. As good as the Twins and the Braves are this year, their road records are just average. Oakland and Toronto are both weak opponents when they're on the road.
The away games in Los Angeles and the road trip immediately coming out of the break to Chicago and Kansas City appear to be the two toughest points in the schedule.
The D-backs themselves are 19-18 at home, and 19-22 on the road. Weighting the Diamondbacks own home and away records against their opponents home and away records I came out to a projection of 14-15 for the 29 games.
They'll need to do better than that to convince their General Manager Mike Hazen to be aggressive at the trade deadline. But such a record would likely still have them quite close to a playoff spot too.
Could they do better than that against the this schedule, giving Hazen more cause to go for it? They're looking to get Zac Gallen back by the weekend to pitch in the Oakland series. That should help.
Don't expect Merrill Kelly back until mid August however, well after the deadline. Eduardo Rodriguez appears to be a week or two ahead of Kelly. Whether he can pitch before the trade deadline is still in doubt.
Hazen, along with every other potential buyer in the league, will be looking for pitching. And that is in short supply, with prices sure to be sky high,.
Ultimately the D-backs chances will continue to hinge on their starting pitching. Jordan Montgomery will need to continue to progress, and Gallen needs to return as the Ace of the staff. Equally important will be getting more consistency out of Brandon Pfaadt, Ryne Nelson and Slade Cecconi too.
That consistency has been elusive, but until Kelly and Rodriguez can pitch, and pitch effectively, that is where the D-backs hopes still rest.
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The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class had its day in Cooperstown on Sunday. This year's class included Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, who were elected by the eligible voters from the Baseball Writer's Association of America, and Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were elected by the Classic Baseball Era Committee. Here are some of the top highlights from Sunday's induction speeches. Dave Parker's son reads poem written by Hall of Fame father Parker's induction into the Hall of Fame was long overdue, and he sadly did not have the opportunity to enjoy the moment of seeing his name in the Hall of Fame as he died June 28. That left his speech in the hands of his son, Dave Parker II, who read a poem written by his dad. Parker spent the majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was an MVP winner, two-time batting champion and World Series champion with the 1979 "We Are Family" team. Dick Allen's wife remembers his kindness Allen was the other veterans committee inductee, and his widow, Willa Allen, spent the majority of her speech remember the kindness of Allen off the field as much as his ability on the field. Allen is going into the Hall of Fame as a Phillie but won the 1972 American League MVP with the Chicago White Sox. He led the league in OPS four times and was the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year. A reminder that Billy Wagner wasn't naturally left-handed Being left-handed is a huge advantage (and money-maker) for pitchers, and Wagner was one of the most dominant left-handed relief pitchers to ever step onto a mound in the big leagues. But he wasn't always left-handed. Wagner was a natural-born right-handed person but taught himself how to throw left-handed after fracturing his right arm twice as a kid. It led to quite a career. Wagner made a name for himself with the Houston Astros but also spent years with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. CC Sabathia takes playful dig at Ichiro Sabathia accomplished a ton in his 19-year big league career. He won 251 games, won the 2007 American League Cy Young Award, was the 2009 ALCS MVP and a World Series champion. He still has apparently not gotten over the one individual award he did not win — the 2001 American League Rookie of the Year Award, which went to fellow 2025 inductee Ichiro. Sabathia made sure to make a playful dig at that. Sabathia was the only American League rookie outside of Ichiro — who also won the American League MVP that year — to get a first-place vote. He received one. The others all went to Ichiro. Ichiro stole the show Ichiro stole 509 bases in his Hall of Fame career, and on Sunday, he added one more steal to his list of accomplishments by absolutely stealing the show at Cooperstown. He delivered two of the best lines of the day, first by calling out the one lone writer who did not vote for him, keeping him from being just the second unanimous Hall of Fame inductee ever (after Mariano Rivera). His best line of the day, however, might have been when he referenced his brief time as a member of the Miami Marlins toward the end of his career. Ichiro played 14 of his 19 seasons with the Seattle Mariners while also spending time with the Marlins and Yankees.
Kirk Cousins might be relegated to the job of backup quarterback, but he is showing veteran leadership to his Atlanta Falcons teammates. Following Sunday's practice, Cousins pulled aside rookie defensive end James Pearce to encourage the first-round pick after his fourth practice in the league at Flowery Branch, Georgia. "QB Kirk Cousins pulled aside Pearce after practice to compliment him on a pass batted down," wrote Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Cousins reportedly had a solid day of practice on Sunday, going 7-of-12 passing against the first-team unit. If Cousins wants out of Atlanta, he's not showing it at practice. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback is competing on the field and being a good teammate around the facility. Cousins' actions on the field backed up what Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot praised Cousins for before the team's practice on Sunday. “Outside, it's a lot more of a deal than it is in the building,” Fontenot said to the media about the idea of friction between the Falcons and Cousins, per video from D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He shows up, he does his job, just like anybody ... We've gotta build the best 70-man roster so we can go win games. "That's what we're focused on, and Kirk, just like all the other players, is focused on coming in here and doing their job. That's what he's been doing." Fontenot didn't dismiss the idea that Atlanta would trade Cousins before the season. He said the Falcons will do whatever it takes to make the team better, but stressed that Cousins has been a professional throughout the process of being replaced by Michael Penix Jr., a first-round pick from the 2024 draft. “In terms of making moves, whether it's trades or acquiring players, we're always looking at those factors," Fontenot said. "We're gonna do whatever we can do to make this team the best it can possibly be. But he's been a great professional, and he's handled himself well.” Cousins is coming to work in a manner that will make another owner want to take a chance on the veteran quarterback. That could be one of his best-selling points before he plays in his 13th season in the league.
The Pittsburgh Steelers officially have 2025 training camp underway and the regular season will be here before the fan base knows it. Head Coach Mike Tomlin really values the team development periods, and this one will be crucial for a roster that looks a whole lot different than it did a season ago. One of the new players that the team will rely on immediately, aside from Aaron Rodgers, will be his anticipated top target in DK Metcalf. The former Seattle Seahawks wideout was traded to the Steel City just prior to the start of the new league year, and was rewarded with a massive contract extension. The first opportunity for Rodgers and Metcalf to work together when the games count will come in Week 1 when the Steelers travel to play the New York Jets. There are plenty of storylines to go along with the contest, as Rodgers is set to face his former team, and Justin Fields will also be competing against Pittsburgh, an organization that he played for in 2024. A big-time matchup to keep an eye on will be Metcalf going up against one of the best cornerbacks in the league in Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner. The defender is phenomenal in coverage, but throughout his career, hasn't really gotten an opportunity to strictly follow an opposing team's best receiver. With Aaron Glenn now running the show in New York, that is set to change, as reported by Rich Cimini of ESPN. "Gardner has quietly yearned to cover the opponents' No. 1 receiver," Cimini wrote. "In the previous defensive scheme, zone-based, he did it only a handful of times each season, mostly in the red zone. He said it might be in the new scheme, which is expected to rely heavily on man-to-man coverage. Gardner also said he might get some blitzing opportunities, which he relishes." While a top option in any franchise's passing game would occasionally get the chance to escape being covered by Gardner in the past, that seems to be a trend that will end under Glenn's leadership. If the Jets plan to play more man-to-man coverage, as noted by Cimini, there is no reason why Gardner won't be following Metcalf's every move in Week 1, making the matchup a little bit more challenging for the veteran wide receiver. The Steelers didn't trade for, and then pay Metcalf an average of over $30 million per year, to have him watch his quarterback hand the ball of. The pass-catcher is expected to be heavily involved in Pittsburgh's offensive scheme, and he will have a very tough battle right off the bat when the organization travels to play in New York in September. This will give fans a great idea of just how dangerous the duo of Rodgers and Metcalf can be. It may help that Rodgers had plenty of time practicing against Gardner, so the veteran may know some potential weaknesses that aren't really public knowledge. Gardner recently detailed in an interview that he is looking forward to the Week 1 contest. “I think it’s going to be fun,” Gardner said. “There’s going to be a lot of smiling out there, a lot of competing out there. I’m looking forward to it. I know Aaron is a competitor. They’ve got DK over there, who also is a competitor. I think it’s going to be a pretty good game.” The saying is that to be the best, one has to beat the best. That's exactly what will happen when the Steelers and Jets face off against one another. The hope is that Metcalf can beat Gardner several times, but it won't be easy, and now the corner may end up shadowing Pittsburgh's top receiving option. Steelers Have To Start Off 2025 On The Right Foot Pittsburgh had an epic collapse to end the 2024 campaign, but still slipped into the playoffs due to an impressive 10-3 start. Beginning any season strong is extremely important for all NFL franchises, so it will be crucial for the team to be ready for the Jets in Week 1. Metcalf will have to start earning his big deal right off the bat, as he is expected to go up against one of the game's best in Gardner.
At 44-60 and 17 games back of the New York Mets in the NL East, the Atlanta Braves aren’t your prototypical buyers ahead of the trade deadline. However, with injuries ravaging quite literally the entire rotation, Alex Anthopoulos doesn’t have a choice but to add some veteran arms that can eat innings over the final two months. Yesterday, the Braves acquired Erick Fedde in a trade with the Cardinals. He’s expected to start tomorrow against the Kansas City Royals. Today, the Braves swung a deal with the Yankees for Carlos Carrasco, sending cash and a PTBNL to New York. Carrasco, who is now 38-years-old, has not produced a season with positive WAR since 2022 when he was with the Mets. Over the last three seasons, he’s started 47 games and boasts an unsightly 6.14 ERA, including a 5.91 ERA for the Yankees this season. This is another underwhelming acquisition, but the Braves aren’t doing this to be competitive. That ship sailed a while ago. They just need some arms that can help them finish the season.