Three Takeaways from D-backs' Disappointing Series vs Nationals

What stood out in a lackluster performance by the Diamondbacks this weekend.

Apr 4, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll (7) reacts after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The Arizona Diamondbacks are back home after a mixed bag of a road trip. Despite an excellent performance and a series win at Yankee Stadium, the D-backs got back on the plane to Phoenix on a down note, having lost two sloppy games to the lowly Washington Nationals.

Opportunity was there to complete a patented Diamondbacks' comeback in both losses, but it didn't seem to come together completely in clutch moments. Perhaps it's the recent loss of All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte, but Arizona ultimately came up just short in back-to-back games.

There were still some positives, as there usually are. But below are three takeaways from a rusty-looking set of games.

1: Starting Pitching Concerns?

It was a difficult series to evaluate Arizona's starting pitching, since there were positives from each performance. The trio of Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodríguez and Corbin Burnes each allowed four earned runs in their outings.

First, the positives. Pfaadt looked to be in control his entire outing, other than the first inning. He was one strike shy of a Quality Start, and delivered six strong innings with solid location and stuff, resulting in Arizona's only win of the series.

Rodríguez similarly fell into a troublesome first inning, but pitched five strong innings of his own. The notable part? He racked up an incredible 12 strikeouts on the day. If not for some poor outfield defense, Rodríguez might have also recorded a Quality Start and the win.

Burnes' outing looked disastrous to start as he walked four, but he did somehow muscle out five innings, and kept Arizona in the game. If that's a "historically" bad game from Burnes, the Diamondbacks can handle it, as long as it's not the norm.

But each one of these arms struggled in a common way: the first inning. Pfaadt allowed two runs in the first. Rodríguez allowed three. Burnes allowed two, with a run each in the second and third.

It's not as if Arizona's starters are pitching poor starts on the whole, they're simply getting lit up early. Whether that's related to approach, location, or simply the aggressive nature of the Nationals' hitters is unknown, but it's a trend that will need to sort itself out if the D-backs want to contend in 2025.

2: Continued Struggles - Outfield Defense

The Diamondbacks have built a reputation as one of the most fundamentally and defensively sound teams in MLB. So far this season, that hasn't been the case, and it's cost Arizona, particularly in this series.

In a game two, a contest the Diamondbacks lost by one run, both Alek Thomas and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. misplayed balls in the outfield, leading to at least one run between the two. Gurriel dove for a ball that could have been played off the hop, turning a potential single into a triple.

Every now and then, these things happen. Manager Torey Lovullo expressed confidence in the sure-handedness of his defense. Certainly, both Thomas and Gurriel have proven to be more than capable outfielders.

But the D-backs' defense continues to be a concern, and in a series where the offense wasn't quite there, these little mistakes lead to added numbers in the loss column. That will need to be worked out before games begin to mean more.

3: Corbin Carroll Surges Early

Now, for a positive. Diamondbacks fans know all too well how much star outfielder Corbin Carroll struggled at the plate to open 2024.

That has not been the case in 2025 so far. Perhaps it's just the Nationals, as Carroll is a career .408 with 20 hits and 11 RBI against Washington.

But the young stud is hitting the ball extremely hard this season, and was a major component of the D-backs' offense in the past three games. In game one, he crushed a pair of homers and knocked in three runs in a game Arizona won by two runs.

He now has three homers on the season — a total he didnt reach until early July of 2024.

In the series finale, he belted a leadoff triple, and an RBI double to put the tying run at second in the ninth inning. For the series, Carroll was a combined 5-for-12 with 14 total bases, three RBI, and three runs scored. He also crushed the two home runs, and walked twice against only two strikeouts.

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