Three Takeaways From Diamondbacks' Gritty Series Win vs Mets

The Arizona Diamondbacks cut it quite close, but managed to secure an impressive, gritty series win facing the New York Mets, who entered the series with the best record in baseball.

It looked anything but pretty. Arizona was blown out in game one, and barely hung on to game two before hanging on to another tight win on Thursday.

Arizona had not won a series in Queens since 2017, and sported a 17-30 record against the Mets in that time frame prior to this three-game set.

Here are three takeaways from an ugly, but much-needed series win in New York.

1: Pocket Aces

Much has been written about, talked about and worried about with regard to right-handed aces Zac Gallen and Corbin Burnes. That's not to deny the fact that they have both looked like significantly watered-down versions of the pitchers they've been known as, but ultimately, all that truly matters is the final score.

Burnes entered his start on Tuesday with a 4.05 ERA, and had yet to record a win as a member of the Diamondbacks. Facing one of MLB's hottest-hitting lineups, Burnes once again struggled significantly with his command and ability to generate whiffs.

But what followed was a bizarre Quality Start, in which the ace gutted out six innings of one-run baseball. That kept Arizona in the game, and got him his first win. It's fine, and quite valid to examine some of Burnes' metrics and worry. His strikeout rate is way down, his walk rate is way up, and just about nothing looks the way it did mere seasons ago.

But Burnes did what aces do. Knowing his stuff wasn't working, he walked five batters — and stranded every one of them. The veteran put forward a truly ugly-looking start, but simply managed to find a way to keep New York down.

Similarly, Gallen entered Thursday with a 5.57 ERA, and tossed six strong innings for Arizona, giving up only two hits and walking three and striking out eight. He had fewer total baserunners than innings pitched, with his only run coming off the bat of Juan Soto — a solo shot.

When your club is in dire need of some wins, and facing one of MLB's best teams, it doesn't matter how it looks. What matters is getting the job done, and both Burnes and Gallen did so in a way that allowed the D-backs to win.

2: Offensive Spark

The Diamondbacks sport one of MLB's best offenses on paper, but it certainly hasn't looked that way in their recent stretch. Even dating back to the Braves series, it was a struggle to scrape six runs across to salvage the final game.

Against the Mets, Arizona couldn't plate more than four runs in a game, scoring only 11 over three contests. It was a enough to win, but that is more so a testament to the grittiness of the D-backs' starters and relievers, and a nod to some timely hitting (mainly by Geraldo Perdomo).

In their last 10 games, the D-baks' lineup is hitting a measly .226. Their OBP is only .299 in that span. Even with some outpouring of runs, they haven't been hitting for average, and the big knocks have not come consistently.

Corbin Carroll was 1-for-13 in New York, Pavin Smith has struck out four times in his last two games, and the team was an abysmal 3-for-22 with runners in scoring position in this series.

They could certainly use the return of Ketel Marte's bat, and Arizona does appear to be getting him back in the coming series in Philadelphia. It's not reasonable to expect Marte to instantly change the tone of the offense, but he does offer manager Torey Lovullo some added lineup stability, and his ability to rake in insurance runs in the ninth inning could be exactly what this scuffling bullpen needs.

3: Bullpen: The New Normal

The D-backs bullpen is now down both of their highest-leverage arms. A.J. Puk was transferred to the 60-day IL as he recovers from a flexor strain in his elbow, and Justin Martinez was placed on the 15-day IL with shoulder inflammation, after sporting significantly lowered velocity and struggling his last two times out.

So that leaves Arizona with a new-look bullpen. While it is quite limited as a result, the absence might also somewhat naturally slide certain arms back into familiar roles — roles they are used to.

Ryan Thompson worked a scoreless hold in the seventh inning of game three, after pitching a lengthy, gritty ninth inning to lock down a save in relief of Martinez in game two. Though Thompson has been bullied by opposing hitters, he looked much more in command, and didn't shy away from hitters.

Kevin Ginkel, who just returned from an injury of his own, worked himself into a jam in game three, but did what he does best — escape big innings. It's notable he thew 34 pitches on the second day of a back to back however.

Then Shelby Miller delivered his first save of the year, a stress-free 1-2-3 inning.

Lovullo likely won't commit to specific inning roles for relievers, and that's normal. But with both Puk and Martinez down, it would be a surprise to not see a healthy dose of Thompson, Ginkel and Miller, with lefty Jalen Beeks in the mix as well.

The D-backs just promoted left-hander Jose Castillo to give a bit more coverage from the left side. That's important because Beeks has been over worked in the early going, throwing 16.2 innings in 14 games.

It won't be an exact science, but the absence of some of these high-leverage arms actually might allow for a modicum of stability, as long as severe regression doesn't strike for the trio of right-handers.

Juan Morillo and Castillo could also find themselves pitching significant innings, but they'll likely have to work their way up to high leverage, barring overuse of the above-mentioned group.

It won't be easy to weather the storm of injuries, but this is when the D-backs' relief depth will be tested the most. Even something close to league average would be welcome, but there's also a chance for some of these arms to excel in roles similar to how they did in 2023.

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