TL;DR: An anemic offensive performance and mental errors behind Ryne Nelson did little to stop the seemingly inevitable sweep.
It’s hard to believe now, but there was some genuine optimism surrounding this team just 10 days ago. They were coming off an emphatic sweep of the Cardinals to put them back at a .500 record and seemed to have gotten some much-needed rest – physically and mentally – from the All-Star Break. Since then, they have won just one game, traded away their starting first baseman and emotional leader, traded away another role player, and scored just 12 runs in their last nine games including two shutouts. The team also now faces the very real possibility of trading away several fan favorites including Eugenio Suarez, Merrill Kelly, and Zac Gallen in the waning hours before the Trade Deadline while turning the page to youth development and next season’s possibilities. It’s a brutal turnaround to experience as a fan in such a short timespan, but it’s also a crucial one for determining the width and height for the team’s contention window moving forward.
Both teams broke the 0-0 tie in consecutive half-innings after two scoreless frames to open the game. In the home half of the third, Colt Keith roped a one-out single up the middle and came around to score on Kerry Carpenter’s booming triple into the right field corner. It was Nelson’s first real location mistake of the afternoon with a big looping curveball that ended right in the middle of the strike zone. Surprisingly, given the recent poor performance of the Arizona offense, they responded immediately as Corbin Carroll doubled to leadoff the visiting half of the fourth, advanced on Ketel Marte’s groundout, and scored on Geraldo Perdomo’s single into centerfield.
Unfortunately, Perdomo’s clutch base hit would be almost immediately erased when a routine groundout from Jake Rogers turned into a rare two-bag error with a fumbled pickup and a comically bad throw to first. Ryne Nelson tried to pick his teammate up, but the miscue opened the floodgates as Keith ripped a single to center to plate Rogers and then scored himself on a no-doubter from Kerry Carpenter that made it 4-1 Detroit. The Detroit offense had one more scoring burst in it when Kyle Backhus was called on to relieve Nelson. There was nothing cheap or light contact to be seen as he was greeted with consecutive doubles from Wenceel Perez and Zack McKinstry, a hard-hit lineout, and a two-run homer from Rogers that put the finishing touches on the game for the Tigers.
Ironically, prior to Backhus’ very bad day in the office, Nelson had a better day than his final line (5.1 IP, 4 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K) might indicate at first blush. It was the highest number of pitches he’s thrown this season and was his second-highest strikeout total in a start for his career. While it wasn’t his longest by innings pitched, it continued a string of excellent performance that stretches back to the beginning of June when he joined the rotation full-time. Over that period, which encompasses 10 starts, he’s pitched to a 3.02 ERA and 1.04 WHIP and nearly averaged 6 IP per start. What’s even more impressive in my opinion is the growth Nelson has exhibited year-over-year as a starter. Regardless of what comes next for the rest of the team and the pitching staff, I firmly believe that Nelson has earned a permanent spot in the starting rotation for 2026.
Once again, the Arizona offense was missing in action. They had just six hits – half of which were supplied by Perdomo himself – and only generated seven baserunners for the entire game. Some of that inconsistency comes from the number of inexperienced players that were in the lineup who are either just starting their careers or are still trying to establish themselves as major leaguers. But that holds little comfort when there are plenty of experienced veterans that should be demonstrating the kind of patience the younger players will need to be successful at this level. And while the losses of both Josh Naylor and Randal Grichuk certainly impacts the offense, it shouldn’t in my opinion make it as comatose as it’s been over the past few days.
At the time, Steve Berthiaume (sp?) commented that Perdomo’s error in the fourth was emblematic of where the D-Backs are mentally because of the looming Trade Deadline. As they were returning from commercial, the network also played part of an interview with Lovullo that echoed many of the same sentiments. That very well may be the case, but it’s a pretty poor excuse in my opinion and misses the fact that this team has been mentally and physically sloppy all season. I understand that as a commentator, it’s very easy to (quite literally) sit on the sidelines and criticize young men for playing poorly, but it’s frustrating as a fan to hear what sound more like excuses than sound reasoning. I can only imagine the stress and anxiety these players are experiencing with the Trade Deadline foremost in their minds and I’m sympathetic to that natural reaction. However, they are all also professionals who understand better than I ever will that trades and transactions are part of the nature of the game and they’ll be held to a higher standard than anyone else. I’m confident they are more mentally and psychologically prepared than many other people for professional challenges they might face, but they’re obviously not immune to distractions despite what I as a fan might prefer. But I also can’t completely dismiss the feeling that the team isn’t playing up to its potential – and that the problem goes beyond the Trade Deadline distractions.
