D-backs' Poor Execution Wastes One of Last Remaining Chances

The Arizona Diamondbacks' abysmal series in Colorado will be a tough one to recover from.

Aug 11, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Andrew Hoffmann (56) reacts to giving up the game tying home run to Texas Rangers first baseman Rowdy Tellez (44) during the ninth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Arizona Diamondbacks did the unthinkable in their weekend series — losing three of four to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

Arizona had faced an opportunity to climb back above .500 in the event of a sweep. But four-game sweeps are hard to come by, no matter the opponent.

All that was really a necessity was for the D-backs to win three. Even a series split might have been acceptable, though not ideal.

Arizona could not do either of those things against a team that was teetering on the edge of their 90th loss.

With the Mets, Cardinals and Reds all flailing in their respective series, the D-backs had a chance to make up some ground for what could be one of the last times this season. They couldn't.

Arizona Diamondbacks Fail to Execute in Colorado

The D-backs cruised to an easy 8-2 victory on Thursday night. That's how games against the Rockies should go.

This is not meant to be disrespect to MLB's bottom club. That is how teams still alive in the playoff race must execute against weaker opponents.

You can't predict baseball. Colorado has taken plenty of surprise wins away from superior clubs. A loss or two in the wild card environment that is Coors Field is nothing to necessarily look at as a defining factor of one's season.

But that wasn't what happened this weekend.

The Diamondbacks weren't sunk by wild plays and homers that wouldn't have been gone anywhere else. They fundamentally failed to execute — offensively, on the mound, and on defense.

In game two, a defensive miscue by Alek Thomas in center field cost Brandon Pfaadt his fourth earned run on a ball hit barely over 70 MPH. The D-backs went on to lose 4-3.

Meanwhile, Arizona's offense could only muster three runs against a starter with an ERA above 8.00. They simply struggled to get on base.

In game three, reliever Andrew Hoffmann sported 0-2, 1-2, and 2-2 respective counts to three separate batters. He did not retire a single one of them, giving up four runs in the process.

This is not to pile on Hoffmann — a rookie pitching a back-to-back in a tough environment.

But as before stated, it was a failure to execute (by Hoffmann and others), not the external factors that doomed the D-backs in game three.

In game four, Jake Woodford was the culprit of the bullpen meltdown. Woodford hit back-to-back batters, then gave up two singles in the seventh inning.

As much as fans were quick to pile on manager Torey Lovullo for utilizing Woodford, that hiccup can still be boiled down to execution by the pitcher himself.

It wasn't the gameplan, it wasn't pitch-sequencing, and it wasn't the thin air that gave the Rockies two free baserunners. It was poor command and execution.

The D-backs' offense also failed to execute on Sunday. Outside of a four-run sixth, Arizona couldn't come away with the necessary hit to blow the game open, despite multiple opportunities.

They had 14 opportunities with runners in scoring position. They came away with two hits and stranded 13 runners.

They had Corbin Carroll and Jake McCarthy on base with one out in the seventh with a three-run lead and failed to give their bullpen insurance. They had bases loaded with one out in the ninth, staring down a 6-4 deficit, and plated just one run on a sacrifice fly.

The Diamondbacks' season is not over — mathematically, at least. But a lack of execution for three straight games in nearly every facet of the game against one of MLB's worst teams does not offer confidence.

With this series loss, the soft portion of the D-backs' schedule is also over. It wasn't their last chance, but with under six weeks to go in the season, they won't have many chances left to make any sort of run at a postseason berth.

Arizona faces the Guardians, Reds, Brewers and Dodgers in the coming weeks — two juggernauts and two hungry playoff hopefuls. The intensity will need to skyrocket if the D-backs want to keep their heads above water.

Sometimes, things don't fall the right way in baseball. But they also won't have a chance to if there isn't at least a somewhat consistent level of execution.