Three Takeaways From Disappointing D-backs Series Loss vs Cubs

The Arizona Diamondbacks lost two out of three to an admittedly dangerous Chicago Cubs team. While it's understandable to drop a series to a sturdy team like the Cubs, it felt as if Arizona missed an opportunity to take the potential tiebreaker over an NL playoff contender.

The D-backs squandered a late comeback in game one, were shut down entirely in game two, and scraped out a gritty final game to salvage the series.

Here are three takeaways from an exciting, yet disappointing series at Wrigley Field:

1: Feast or Famine - Offense

The Diamondbacks' offense can be explosive. It can also go quiet for lengthy stretches. They scored 22 runs over three games in a sweep of the Miami Marlins, and managed 11 runs despite a loss in game one — 10 of which came in a mind-blowing single eighth inning.

However, that's where the scoring ultimately stopped. The D-backs scored just five total runs over the final two games of the set. In fact, game two showcased one of the weakest offensive days of the season, with Corbin Carroll's three hits providing the entirety of the offense until Tim Tawa homered with two outs in the ninth.

Tawa and Carroll combined for four hits - the only hits of the game for Arizona. Then, despite winning game three on Sunday, the D-backs managed only one run until the 10th inning, and still only plated two total ghost runners in a 3-2 victory.

Part of this can be attributed to the unpredictability of baseball, but the D-backs would benefit from more consistent offense, rather than explosiveness on a less-predictable basis. Such is the game, but Arizona's offensive inconsistency did keep them out of a winnable game two, and looked doomed to do the same in game three if not for some exceptional pitching by both Merrill Kelly and the bullpen.

2: Lack of Depth Creates Bullpen Woes

The D-backs had gone into play on Friday with a bullpen that had yet to be responsible for a loss. They had not seen a blown save to that point, and even with some shaky innings, Arizona's relievers had generally gotten the job done, when there was a job to be done.

On Friday, the D-backs orchestrated a miraculous 10-run eighth inning, coming back from down 7-1 to gain a 11-7 lead. That lead was immediately squandered in the home half, as Bryce Jarvis and Joe Mantiply allowed six runs against just one out.

With the D-backs' entire back-end bullpen unavailable (and A.J. Puk injured, as it was later revealed), there was no one to turn to. Arizona now has just one left-hand reliever in Jalen Beeks, and the lack of depth created some concern.

Related Content: Do the Diamondbacks Have Enough Left-Hand Reliever Depth?

However, this did force Arizona's hand to option Mantiply and Jarvis to Reno, opening opportunities for some rising arms. This situation, particularly with regard to left-hand relief depth, is developing, and could continue to pose issues as the season progresses, even with the return of arms like Kendall Graveman and Kevin Ginkel.

3: New Faces Impress

Going hand-in-hand with the negative takeaway mentioned above, the poor outings by Jarvis and Mantiply, and the injury to Puk sent a wave of new relievers to Arizona's bullpen.

Drey Jameson, J.P. Feyereisen and Juan Morillo all received the call, and each delivered when called upon in a major way. Feyereisen tossed a scoreless inning with a strikeout, and Morillo delivered a pair of strikeouts (including one of Kyle Tucker) and touched 100 MPH in his first MLB inning without allowing a hit.

Jameson was called upon in game three, and his first appearance since 2023 was a save opportunity in the 11th inning. He wrapped up the inning in impressive fashion, including a critical double play, and secured his second career major league save.

Granted, two of these outings were in low leverage, and Justin Martinez will likely close games going forward, but these arms do have promise. If Morillo and Jameson can consistently control their electric stuff, they could both force their way into a long-term role in a bullpen that needed a breath of life following Friday's meltdown.

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