Three Main Takeaways from Diamondbacks Series vs White Sox

The Arizona Diamondbacks concluded a nine-game road trip by taking two of three from the Chicago White Sox. They dropped the series finale however, missing out an the opportunity for a sweep. Here are my three main takeaways from the series:

Arizona Diamondbacks Starting Pitching Trends Continue

Eduardo Rodriguez continues to look like a new man since coming off the injured list. He threw six scoreless innings, striking out 10 batters while walking two and giving up five hits. More and more he's looked like the pitcher the Diamondbacks signed to a four-year, $80 million contract.

Ryne Nelson continues to emerge as a reliable starting pitcher. For the second straight start, he went five or more innings giving up exactly one run on one hit that was a solo homer. According to Stathead from Sports Reference, that's only been done multiple times in a season nine other times, and never back-to-back.

Dating back to July 2 of last year, Nelson has a 3.33 ERA and a 3.43 FIP in 143 innings pitched. He's had the best run prevention numbers on the team for a full calendar year now.

Zac Gallen's decline continued as he gave up five runs on eight hits including two homers in 5.1 innings. He has a 5.75 ERA, the highest among all qualified starters. He's given up four or more eared runs in eight of his last nine starts. There is no easy way to explain what's happened to him. It's a combination of reduced stuff, poor command, and by this point, his confidence must be shaken.

What's clear however is that not only has he cost himself tens of millions in potential free agency dollars, but he may be costing his team at a chance to make the Postseason. It's hard to envision a Diamondbacks team getting to the playoffs without a turnaround from their former ace starter.

Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries Threaten Season

General Manager Mike Hazen said on Tuesday to ESPN's Jesse Rogers that if the D-backs are to be buyers at the trade deadline, they can't absorb any more injuries.

Gabriel Moreno was already on the injured list with a fractured finger, and then Corbin Carroll joined him on Monday with a fractured left wrist.

Hours later Eugenio Suarez was hit on the hand by a pitch in the first inning and had to be removed from the game. Josh Naylor followed him shortly after with a sore right shoulder. Then Ildemaro Vargas got hit by a pitch on his right foot, breaking a bone, and landing on the injured list as well.

X-rays were negative for Suarez, and he took batting cage swing on Wednesday, saying he did not feel any pain, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Naylor played in Wednesday's series finale, hitting a homer and a single.

For now it looks like Arizona dodged a bullet. But this is a team that has won with offense, and suffered even more injuries on the pitching side of things. If they lose one more key starter, the offense will cease to function properly.

Some People are Bad, but Most People are Good

A terrible incident occurred Tuesday night when a fan taunted Ketel Marte with comments about his mother, Elpidia Valdez, who had passed away in an auto accident in 2017. A visibly shaken and sobbing Marte had to be consoled during a pitching change by teammates and manager Torey Lovullo.

After the initial reactions of sadness, anger and outrage, what followed was an outpouring of good will from all around the sport, both within and without. The White Sox took immediate steps to right the wrong, as did Major League Baseball.

More importantly the incident sparked a conversation about compassion and respect, and how important those things are to our society. Diamondbacks fans also organically began donating money to the Diamondbacks Foundation in Elpidia Valdez's name as a show of support for Marte.

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