\u201cGoing 5-2 with an offense that\u2019s kind of struggling a little bit. \u2026 We got pitching heavy in those wins and that carried us. So, we handed off to one another. When it starts to fire on all cylinders, that\u2019s when we\u2019re gonna really take off,\u201d manager Torey Lovullo said.<\/p>\n
Ten games in, and the Diamondbacks are in second place in the National League West with a tough road trip ahead at the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles. Here are 10 early takeaways from 10 games played.<\/p>\n
10 Diamondbacks takeaways 10 games into the season
\nCorbin Carroll is answering questions about his power<\/p>\n
Carroll started the homestand with a triple to give the Diamondbacks an early lead against the Tigers, and he capped it with a go-ahead triple in the seventh inning on Sunday against the Braves.<\/p>\n
Carroll was the standout offensively for Arizona through 10 games, especially on the seven-game homestand. He went 8-for-21 at home with two home runs, two triples, a double and a stolen base.<\/p>\n
The two-time All-Star said his hand is feeling much better<\/a> now than when he first returned in spring training from hamate surgery, and for any concerns about his power, Carroll is sixth in the National League in slugging at .656 and tied for sixth in total bases with 21.<\/p>\n Jordan Lawlar suffers another tough break<\/p>\n Talk about a mix of emotions, as on the same night Lawlar cracked his first major league home run, he suffered a broken wrist on a hit-by-pitch in the back end of a blowout on Thursday.<\/p>\n Lawlar, the club\u2019s former top prospect, finally secured an everyday role in a new position in the outfield and had started the season playing well. Lawlar hit .333 in his first six games, adding valuable production to the bottom of the lineup.<\/p>\n The 23-year-old will spend the next six weeks (at least) on the IL, doing what he can to stay sharp defensively before he can come back. It is yet another another injury setback to his young career.<\/p>\n \u201cI get a lot of joy from\u00a0playing on that field, so I want to keep playing,\u201d Lawlar said before the IL designation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jose Fernandez gave the Diamondbacks their best story of the young season<\/p>\n A year ago, Diamondbacks infield prospect Jose Fernandez was just getting his feet wet in Double-A.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Fernandez put together one of the most \u2014 if not the most \u2014 prolific major league debuts in club history.<\/p>\n Fernandez became the seventh player since 1900 to hit two home runs in his first MLB game. His second blast was a go-ahead home run during a six-run eighth inning as Arizona stormed back to beat the Tigers. Better yet, it came off Kenley Jansen, one of the most accomplished closers of his generation, on his signature cutter.<\/p>\n Whether Fernandez becomes the next big thing in Arizona or not, that was a night of baseball romanticism<\/a> at Chase Field.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is the moment that one dreams of as a kid,\u201d Fernandez said in Spanish.<\/p>\n The lineup has had trouble scoring consistently<\/p>\n Sunday was the best all-around day for the lineup this season, as the D-backs scored runs in five innings and kept applying pressure throughout the game despite hitting no home runs.<\/p>\n Arizona scored five runs over its previous four games and has scored two runs or fewer in six of 10 games this year.<\/p>\n As a team, the D-backs are bottom 10 in runs, hits and OPS after leading the league in scoring over the past two seasons.<\/p>\n There have been a couple solid signs lately. Ketel Marte had his most impactful game on Sunday with two doubles, including the walk-off knock<\/a> in the 10th inning. Gabriel Moreno picked up two hits on Saturday.<\/p>\n The D-backs need its core four (Marte, Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo and Moreno) to carry a heavy load, especially with the injuries impacting the bottom half of the order.<\/p>\n This has been a slow start for veteran newcomers Nolan Arenado (.426 OPS) and Carlos Santana (.279 OPS), with the latter having left Sunday\u2019s game with groin tightness<\/a>.<\/p>\n The identity of an offense with noticeably less power than the recent past is still being figured out, but Sunday was a blueprint of using speed and situational hitting to produce runs as opposed to relying on the long ball.<\/p>\n \u201cFinding ways to scratch across a run here, scratch across a run there \u2014 that\u2019s a good pitching staff over there \u2014 so finding a way to do that was big,\u201d catcher James McCann said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Michael Soroka is making an impression<\/p>\n The Diamondbacks signed Michael Soroka as their first free agent addition of the offseason. Soroka was eager for the opportunity to prove he can stay healthy and be a quality starter as injuries have plagued what started out as a promising career.<\/p>\n So far, Soroka has competed as well as he could have hoped<\/a>, delivering 10 innings with one earned run in two starts, both wins. He threw an immaculate inning on Monday, the fourth in D-backs history. The right-hander also struck out 10 hitters, the most by a pitcher debuting for the Diamondbacks.<\/p>\n He was not as sharp on Saturday but fought through five effective innings against Atlanta, his former club.<\/p>\n Soroka is throwing more slurves than any other pitch, and opponents are hitting .071 against it so far<\/a>.<\/p>\n Eduardo Rodriguez has built off of the WBC success<\/p>\n Eduardo Rodriguez put together the performance of his career to push Venezuela to a World Baseball Classic championship this spring, and he has not given up an earned run since.<\/p>\n Rodriguez tossed five innings without an earned run against the Dodgers in his season debut, and he outdid himself with seven shutout innings against the Braves on Friday.<\/p>\n He has only given up eight hits with three walks in two starts for a WHIP of 0.92.<\/p>\n A big change is that Rodriguez has upped the usage of his changeup, and opponents are hitting .150 against it so far. He has also continued to work in a new curveball.<\/p>\n After a couple lackluster seasons to begin his Diamondbacks tenure, Rodriguez is looking the part of the pitcher Arizona envisioned signing. Now, the offense needs to score some runs for him to win these games<\/a>.<\/p>\n Zac Gallen has a different look<\/p>\n Lovullo has said on several occasions that Gallen has had a different look in his eye this year. Pitching coach Brian Kaplan said before the season that he imagines Gallen has a chip on his shoulder.<\/p>\n Gallen did not have an ideal free agency experience, landing a one-year deal to return to Arizona with an opportunity to try again next winter. After a down 2025 campaign, Gallen has looked sharp to start 2026 with one iffy inning through his first 10 frames. He blanked the Tigers through six innings on Wednesday, winning a pitchers\u2019 duel with two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.<\/p>\n If Rodriguez and Gallen become pluses for this rotation after having rough 2025 numbers \u2014 especially through the first four months \u2014 that sets up the starting five to look like what many envisioned last year as one of the deepest in baseball, especially when Merrill Kelly and eventually Corbin Burnes return.<\/p>\n Arizona starters have a collective 3.29 ERA and are fifth in MLB with 52 innings pitched.<\/p>\n The defense has been very good, most of the time<\/p>\n There have been some defensive hiccups early, but overall, the Diamondbacks have graded out very well with their gloves.<\/p>\n The D-backs entered Sunday leading the league in defensive runs saved with 15. The next highest team is Atlanta at 12.<\/p>\n Alek Thomas already picked up three DRS and has looked elite in center field, while Marte and Perdomo have been strong up the middle. Moreno threw out the speedy Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. stealing in a big play on Saturday.<\/p>\n The 10-time Gold Glover Arenado has had some brilliant moments at third but also a couple mistakes in the Braves series that proved costly.<\/p>\n Defense was an area of focus to improve the team in 2026, and it has so far been a positive that can get even cleaner.<\/p>\n The back end of the bullpen has mostly held up despite some challenges<\/p>\n Paul Sewald has indeed stepped back into the closer role he lost in 2024, and so far, he\u2019s been effective.<\/p>\n Sewald is 3-for-3 in save opportunities with a loss mixed in during a non-save situation. Sewald allowed two home runs to the Braves on Friday and came back Saturday to pick up the save in a 1-2-3 inning.<\/p>\n As a team, the D-backs have four saves and two blown saves.<\/p>\n Juan Morillo, Jonathan Loaisiga and Taylor Clarke have given up runs in one appearance each while looking sharp in others. Ryan Thompson had a wonky outing last Monday with two balks but has not allowed a run thus far, neither has Andrew Hoffmann.<\/p>\n
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