June results
Unsurprisingly, confidence took a sharp tumble in May, the result of the team going 11-17. That’s the most losses in any calendar month since September 2022. The D-backs conceded 156 runs, the most for even longer (June 2021, 167). This was largely the result of one of the worst bullpen months in franchise history, as they went 2-8 with a 6.39 ERA. This is not exactly the kind of performance you would expect from a team expected to be chasing a playoff spot. The loss of both co-closers, in A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez was keenly felt, and unsurprisingly, it all had a significant, negative impact on fan confidence. Here’s how the votes stacked up at the beginning of June.
11% – 1 (not confident in the slightest)
11% – 2
28% – 3
13% – 4
19% – 5
13% – 6
2% – 7
1% – 8
1% – 9 (very, very, VERY confident)
There’s almost a complete wipe-out at the top of the ballot. At the beginning of May, sixty-two percent were at “7” or above. This month, that has all but evaporated, with just five percent there. In contrast, almost half the ballots were at a “3” or below – pessimism shared by only one percent in the previous poll. As a result, the overall average collapsed by almost three points, dropping from 6.73 to 3.82. That’s not even close to the largest drop – 3.77 points in June 2021 – but is the lowest in a year. The “June swoon” appears to be real. We’ll see if the team rebounds in July and August, as it very much did last season. Two months later, confidence was back over seven.
Below, you can see the breakdown for the past 12 polls’ results, followed by the line graph showing the trends over this and previous seasons.
July poll
Might be a bit more of a “glass half-full or half-empty” situation this month. The team did rebound to a 15-11 record, the best win percentage of the year. But they should perhaps have done better, against a weaker part of the schedule, and while they got back to .500, they still only have the 10th-best record in the National League. There’s work to be done, certainly, and difficult decisions for Mike Hazen, as we head towards the trade deadline at the end of the month. The injury problems seem to have shifted towards the position player side, with Gabriel Moreno and Corbin Carroll now on the IL. But going into July, the team is a robust 12-8 against the rest of the division, better than the Giants or Padres. So, what do you think?
That would be what the poll is for. As ever, feel free to explain your choice in the comments, especially if it has changed from the previous one.
Poll
How confident are you about the Diamondbacks?
0%
1 (not confident in the slightest)
(0 votes)
0%
9 (very, very, VERY confident)
(0 votes)
0 votes total