Good, Bad and Ugly from Diamondbacks' Sturdy Series Win over Red Sox

The Arizona Diamondbacks won two of three from the Boston Red Sox in front of packed Chase Field crowds. The energy was present, both on the field and in the stands.

The D-backs earned two strong victories, but an ugly game three left a bit of a sour taste. Arizona reached its head above .500 for the first time since July 1, but fell back to an even 72-72 on Sunday.

Still, there was plenty to break down from an overall-sucessfull series. Below is the good, bad and ugly from the D-backs' series win over Boston:

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Boston Red Sox: The Good

Diamondbacks' Starting Pitching

The Diamondbacks' starting pitchers were excellent in all three games. Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson each turned in shockingly similar results.

All three starters went six innings and allowed one earned run. In total, Arizona's rotation pitched 18 innings, giving up 13 hits, five walks and three runs while striking out 14. Each arm exited the game in line for the win.

The blowup outings have certainly still been present, but the D-backs' starting pitchers have also begun to show a much higher level of success. If Arizona continues to get this type of effort from their starters, it will go a long way for the unstable bullpen.

Blaze Alexander's Defensive Rise

Enough cannot be said about the job Blaze Alexander has done in his first taste of a superutility role. Alexander has hardly played any time in the outfield, but stepped in and made a pair of potentially game-altering plays to help fuel two D-backs wins in games one and two.

In game one, Alexander corralled a would-be RBI single and fired a laser to home plate, ending the inning scoreless and preventing a run. The throw traveled 95 MPH and was nearly perfect in terms of accuracy.

In game two, Alexander made an unbelievable leaping catch at the left field wall, robbing Alex Bregman of a home run. The D-backs' young stud is developing both defensively and at the plate, and the results have been impressive, to say the least.

Diamondbacks vs Red Sox: The Bad

Poor Bullpen Outings

Arizona's bullpen has certainly had some surprising success over recent weeks. But the familiar issues are still there, and they were quite prevalent in games two and three.

In game two, Bryce Jarvis surrendered four earned runs without collecting an out. A 6-1 lead vaporized into a 6-5 lead. If not for an offensive outburst in the following inning, the D-backs may have been disaster-bound.

In game three, Arizona's bullpen coughed up a 3-1 lead. Of course, that was helped along by some poor defense, but a 4-4 tie game turned into a 7-4 deficit after Taylor Rashi — who had been very effective in his previous outings — gave up a three-run inning.

Arizona's bullpen is what it is at this stage. The good comes with the bad, but there was a notable amount of bad in this series.

Diamondbacks vs Red Sox: The Ugly

Diamondbacks' Meltdown Inning

The seventh inning of game three might have been one of the ugliest in recent history.

With a 3-1 lead, Ryan Thompson hit a batter, Tyler Locklear botched a rundown to second base, and Jordan Lawlar misplayed two balls, leading to a 4-3 deficit. It was a complete breakdown in an inning that offered every opportunity to escape.

The Diamondbacks' infield defense has been on the rise, but that type of breakdown was among the worst Arizona has committed all season. Regardless of Rashi's three-run ninth inning, the momentum shifted in the seventh, and it didn't shift back.