We won the series versus the A’s but lost to the Padres. About what was to be expected, or are you still disappointed given how close the SD series was?
Spencer: Maybe a bit disappointed? But the bullpen is the old enemy. We’re all used to it now. The offense looks good which might surprise some who expected a detrimental drop off without Naylor and Suarez. The rotation holding their own is nice. I don’t trust it to last, but it’s nice.
1AZfan1: Considering the (lack of) stakes, I think I shouldn’t be disappointed in the Padres result, but I do like the idea of playing spoiler for teams in the hunt down the stretch. So I suppose I am a little disappointed that we didn’t hand them a series loss, but we gave the Friars everything they could handle and showed fight in every game which is good to see.
Makakilo: Immediately prior to playing the A’s and the Padres, the Diamondbacks lost 9 of 10 games. I felt positive vibes when they bounced back by winning 3 of 6 games against these two teams!
How did they do it? Their offense awoke! They improved runs scored per game from 1.4 to 4.5. Nevertheless, their pitching was slightly better, too (their runs allowed per game fell from 5.0 to 4.33).
Dano: I’m good with it, all things considered. Sure, it would have been nice to sweep the Friars, but our bullpen is our bullpen is our bullpen, and it’s the same sh*t we’ve been contending with all year. Like 1AZFan1 says, the lack of stakes for us is key. We’ll have plenty more opportunities to play spoiler as the end of the regular season draws closer.
Ben: I’ll always be at least a little disappointed when the team loses. The Padres are playing better baseball and might be a better overall team right now – especially with their Trade Deadline acquisitions and the D-Backs’ losses – so I certainly didn’t expect them to win the series. But it’s encouraging to me that even with the Trade Deadline “firesale” and subsequent upheaval in the dugout that the team is still responding and competing well.
Blaze’s defense has been of great discussion and praise on the broadcasts lately. How much do you feel it has improved, and is it now a strength for him?
Spencer: I haven’t been able to truly watch much recently with the games starting too late for me. If it is improving that’s cool; good for Blaze. His bat intrigues me more. He blazed onto the scene and then fell off spectacularly last year. So spectacularly I gave up on him given the quality of bats coming behind him. It’ll take quite a bit of success for that to change for me. But I’m open to it!
1AZfan1: The numbers aren’t quite as good as I thought they’d be. Outs Above Average and Fielding Run Value rates him negatively at 3rd base while Defensive Runs Saved rates him a +1. The eye test, to my untrained eye at least, says he’s a competent third baseman with plenty of arm to make any throw required. I wouldn’t have called him competent in the field in 2024 so I’d say he’s definitely improved. He’s not a Gold Glover, but he seems to have the tools necessary to grow even further and I think he will be a positive asset defensively going forward as long as his bat gives him a chance.
Makakilo: One detail about his DRS: His range improved from negative 1 last season to +1 this season (per The Fielding Bible). That objective measure shows improvement, despite the relatively small sample size.
Dano: Like Mak notes, we’re still very much in small sample size territory. But despite that, yeah, I’ve been impressed. I don’t really look at the numbers and the metrics unless I have to, but he’s certainly passing the eye test for me. He looks massively improved, both in the field and at the plate. Kind of amazing what regular playing time and nobody immediately breathing down your neck can do, innit?
Ben: I was equally surprised at the middling defensive ratings Alexander has so far in the small sample size this year. The eye test certainly makes it seem like he’s making good reads on balls down the line and the arm appears fine on those long throws. But I’ll trust the coaches and front office to better evaluate him than I ever will. I think the bigger problem is how he handles and responds to being a utility infielder rather than the everyday starter he’s been since the Deadline. For the foreseeable future, the front office see an infield of Lawlar, Perdomo, and Marte with a big question mark at first base. Where does that leave Blaze?
Should Torey be fired? Will Torey be fired?
Spencer: Absolutely not. He’s a top tier manager in the game. Anyone trying to argue otherwise is aiming to get clicks or ignorant (slight hyperbole, but I do believe this whole-heartedly).
Will he? I lean 60-40 he stays. Kendrick’s history of overreaction bodes ill, but blaming Torey for the 2025 problems is ignorant as well. It’s hardly the manager’s fault when a bunch of the same injury crops up. I’d fire Kaplan like 2 months ago though… he’s been nothing but ineffective and frankly it’s really hard to look past the “health guy” overseeing a rash of injuries.
1AZfan1: Agree with Spencer that he shouldn’t be fired, but will stop short of saying he’s a top tier manager. When it comes to baseball managers today, I feel that 91.3% of the job is managing personalities and being a public face of the franchise. Torey has proven he can manage personalities effectively to get everyone rowing the same direction. I give him a ton of credit for being able to field a team as good as we’ve been for the past few years when the most talented pitcher and hitter on the team don’t appear to be natural leaders (Zac and Ketel). He’s cultivated a clubhouse climate where a second-year Geraldo Perdomo can feel comfortable taking the reins as a field- and clubhouse-leader, even when he was by most metrics a below-average Major Leaguer, and the rest of the roster seems to have fallen in behind him. I know for a fact that isn’t an easy thing to accomplish. As far as a public face of the franchise, I love him. He’s a well-respected man around the game and he values the people in this community. Will he get fired? Just because of the personal relationship between Torey and Hazen, I’m gonna say only if the rest of the season really goes off the rails. I’m betting it won’t.
Makakilo: Torey Lovullo and Mike Hazen are an effective team. My view is they will not be fired. A few points that I made in the comments section of this recap for a game the Diamondbacks lost to the Tigers:
Despite their disappointment in this season’s wins, my view is that they fought to the last out, which tells me that they are responding to Torey. He is a top 5 manager in the Majors.My inspiration line in the recap can be translated: when the players keep focusing on playing well, eventually the wins will come.Baseball is a difficult game, in which winning or losing very close battles can swing the game. And breakout performances by individual players can swing the game.The Diamondbacks have had more than their share of injuries.
Dano: No, I don’t think he should be fired. I hope he doesn’t get fired. I don’t think he deserves it, because to me it seems like the vast majority of what drove this season off the rails for the Snakes was entirely out of his control. Does that mean the team won’t hand him a pink slip and a box and tell him to clean out his office on September 29 or whenever? There often ain’t no justice when one is in a public-facing position representing a high(ish)-profile franchise. But I think they would be foolish to fire him. No guarantee, however, that they are not fools.
I’m also completely on Team Spencer with regard to Kaplan….he totally should have been fired two months ago.
Ben: I don’t think he should be fired nor will he be based on the results of this year. The season was completely sent off the rails because of injury, which is mostly out of his control. However, fundamentals like clean defense can be affected by him and his coaches and that was distressingly bad throughout the season. My guess is that his seat and Hazen’s are warming given the financial commitment Kendrick has made to the team over the past couple offseasons with little to show for it.
Jim had an article about what the 2026 bullpen would look like right now. Is this the off season where you would spend big(ger) money on the bullpen?
Spencer: Depends on the budget I think. I’ll defer to Jack Sommers for real numbers as we enter the winter. If there is enough money, I say maybe? But I am a little more in favor of waiting for winter 2026 because I don’t believe the team (as it’s set up currently) can compete in 2026. I get the worry about a 2027 lockout but the 2026 roster looks very suspect without some major overhauls coming. #InHazenWeTrust, but I may amend that to #ToHazenWeEntrust2027
1AZfan1: I honestly liked Hazen’s idea of not spending big on the bullpen. Given our holes elsewhere on the roster the last few years, I agreed with spending on bats and starters. In 2026, though, I don’t care to add a significant bat at all. Spending a few million for a Kevin Newman or Randal Grichuk type? Sure. I just see no reason to spend significant amounts on the lineup to go “all in” on 2026 and would rather see how the young guys do. Who among Blaze/Lawlar/Troy will be viable starters in 2027? Is Locklear a dude or just a guy? With that being the case, most every available dollar should go to the pitching staff. We’ll need a couple starters at least, and whatever money we have leftover should go to the bullpen. I haven’t looked at who might be available in free agency or trade this offseason, but bringing in a couple arms, hopefully at least one who can be a truly impactful reliever, would be great.
Makakilo: Prior to the start of this season, this roundtable talked about bullpen issues and provided some ideas and insights. Thoughts I like most are:
In 2026, we could possibly see several borderline starters converted into excellent relievers. This assumes less injuries to starters and an idea expressed by James in the roundtable (see following quote, for full context go to link)“…Part of Arizona’s bullpen issue is relying on waiver claims instead of converting borderline/failed starters into relievers….” –JamesIn 2026, a different type of bullpen pitcher could possibly be acquired. In 2024, only 4 of the 26 blown saves were by the closer, Paul Sewald. “Instead of designating a closer, perhaps more important is consistently pitching well in high leverage games.” — Makakilo “Look for pitchers aged 25 to 33. In the last four D-backs seasons, with the exception of Justin Martinez, no relief pitcher younger than 25 ever reached 30 innings with an ERA+ of at least 100. Those who reached that goal ranged in age from 25 to 33.” — Makakilo
Dano: I have been fairly vocal at times this season, as well as in the past, on the topic of “reliever volatility be damned, spend some goddamned money on free-agent high-leverage relievers!” And well, I suppose I still stand by that. I don’t disagree with Mike Hazen’s reluctance to spend in that area due to the aforementioned volatility, but I also kinda feel like that’s an excuse to cover for what seems like a pretty clear fact at this point, which is that the folks we pay to scout free agent pitching, whether relievers or starters, aren’t very good at their jobs. And you can’t make good choices about spending money on pitching in the offseason if you don’t have sources of scouting information that you can trust. So maybe we spend some money on upgrading our scouting, and then draw on their competence to try to upgrade the bullpen more sensibly. Or maybe the annual dumpster-diving really is the best way to approach building a better bullpen. I honestly don’t know at this point, because if it were a relatively simple fix, I would imagine that we would have fixed it by now. And we haven’t.
Ben: It’s a pretty good article, but definitely doesn’t inspire much confidence in the bullpen for next year as it stands now. A glance at the pending unrestricted free agent relievers this offseason shows that there are options aplenty for Hazen and Co at basically any financial commitment. I’m also with Spencer though on 2026 looking particularly suspect for true competitiveness. The position player side of the roster looks pretty well set and could once again boast a top-10 offense depending on regression/development of players like Lawlar and Locklear. But the pitching has question mark after question mark. In the rotation, you’re counting on a bounceback from Brandon Pfaadt who is a far cry from the pitcher with a 2.78 ERA in April; a legitimate miracle from Eduardo Rodriguez who looks like the most recent poster boy for bad pitching signings by Hazen; and Ryne Nelson who has looked excellent in the still limited amount of starts he’s gotten this year. After those three, there are possibilities in Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly depending on qualifying offer acceptance and contract negotiations, but given Kelly’s relative age (he’ll be 37 by Opening Day 2026), it wouldn’t shock me if he prioritizes a team that is more readily primed to win next year. And down in Reno, there aren’t a ton of particularly appetizing options as several of the team’s highest prospects have looked overmatched in the admittedly inflated offensive environment there.
What is your favorite type of ice cream. Feel free to wax poetic.
Spencer: Jeni’s. It’s a local Columbus brand that’s expanding but I’m not sure she’s reached AZ yet. Her Gooey Butter Cake (St Louis inspired) is my favorite flavor. Closely followed by Brambleberry Crisp and Salty Caramel. A cone with all three flavors is weird but so worth it.
1AZfan1: Jeni’s is a good call, Spencer. When I think about ice cream, though, my favorites would be ice cream based desserts that I’ve had. My nostalgic pick was the ice cream roll cake my mom would make for my birthdays as a kid. Loved it! Nowadays, my wife makes a killer chocolate chip ice cream pie.
Makakilo: In Kailua-Kona Hawaii, at Journey Cafe, I ate dragon fruit ice cream topped with crumbles of pie crust. It was unique and memorable. My table was outside next to their herb garden. A nearby shop sells locally made arts and crafts, including a wide variety of origami creatures. Some of them are so large they hang from the ceiling.
Dano: When I first moved to Tucson, there was this amazing gelato place right by the University of Arizona campus where my then-wife and I would occasionally find ourselves. Utterly fantastic. I don’t know if they’re still there, or if they survived covid, because a lot of food purveyors of various sorts didn’t and it was hard to keep track of all of them that went under. But my go-tos will always be Ben & Jerry’s Americone Dream, and tubs of Breyers Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. The latter because it’s just damn good, and it’s the only flavor introduced during their business with making flavors in conjunction with American late-night hosts, which Steven Colbert should always win. The former because it is really good, with flecks of vanilla bean and strong but not overwhelming minty flavor, and they are just about the only brand that doesn’t feel the need to infect their mint chocolate chip ice cream with the green dye that traditionally signifies “mintiness” to the consumer.
Also, on a certain sort of day, Baskin-Robbins rainbow sherbet is an excellent choice.
Ben: Jeni’s will always hold a special place in my heart. There was a storefront of theirs in downtown Philadelphia that was nearly always bustling and both the smells and tastes were intoxicating. If we’re talking ice cream flavors, I’m an absolute sucker for Moose Tracks because I love a chocolate-peanut butter combination everyday of the week. But I’m also absolutely open to excellent soft serve and my wife’s love for ice cream is well-documented throughout her entire life so if there’s a place to try wherever we go, there’s a better than even chance that we’ll be there.