How Did the D-backs Handle Difficult September Schedule?

The month of September was the most difficult stretch in the Diamondbacks' 2022 season. With matchups against the Dodgers, Padres, Brewers, and Giants, the D-backs were going to get a test of playing against teams that were playing for a postseason spot. It was an opportunity to compare themselves against those teams and assess where they need to be in order to be playing meaningful games this late a year from now.

The D-backs went 13-20 after September 1st, with a run differential of -17, scoring 130 runs and allowing 147. After winning the first series of the month, a four-game series against the Brewers, they did not win another series to close the year. Excluding a two-game split with the Astros on September 27th-28th, the D-backs actually lost every three-game series they played for the month. Some of those series losses could have been series wins with better execution late in games.

The two biggest issues that affected the team were being able to put consistent offensive pressure on their opponents and a bullpen that struggled to hold late leads. That culminated in a 1-7 record in one-run games and six walk-off losses in the team's final 33 games. The D-backs faced some quality starting pitching in the month of September, with Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Anderson, Corbin Burnes, and Yu Darvish getting two starts against Arizona, managing only 3.9 runs per game. Despite scoring fewer runs, the starting pitching and offense was able to hand the bullpen a lead late in the game.

Fixing the bullpen has to be the top priority for the D-backs this off-season in order to improve their win total. For the month of September, Arizona ranked 26th in ERA (4.89) and worst in FIP (5.62) for relievers according to Fangraphs. FIP paints an even gloomier picture, since it only accounts for strikeouts, walks, and home runs before adjusting it to an ERA scale. The big takeaway is the lack of power arms in the bullpen, which resulted in a low strikeout total and high walk rate. That reared its head in high leverage situations, where failure often results in a loss.

There were some positives to take note of, as the team called up some of their top prospects to get their first taste in the big leagues. Corbin Carroll, Drey Jameson, Ryne Nelson, and Tommy Henry were able to showcase their talent but also had their share of struggles. Their struggles provided teachable moments, which will help them grow into productive big leaguers. The rotation and outfield situations look much better than they did a year ago, which bodes well for roster construction.

The team's youth and athleticism were both apparent down the stretch, as the D-backs have not been consistent offensively. In the games where the offense is clicking, the team often shows off their ability to impact the game with speed, whether it's stealing bases or taking the extra base on hits to the outfield. The speed has caused their opponents to make mistakes in the field, giving Arizona extra bases and extra baserunners.

While the D-backs did not have a good month of September in terms of wins and losses, it provided many teachable moments on what they need to do in order to win these games. Even against teams with better records, there were opportunities for Arizona to win those series but seemed like an at-bat or an inning got away from them. They were able to compete against some of the best teams, but idea they'll need to improve upon for next year is finishing out close games with wins instead of losses.