PHILADELPHIA -- The Diamondbacks have only been away from home for a week now, but it certainly feels like their six-game road trip against the Mets and Phillies was longer than that.
“Exhausting,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said of the trip. “Mentally exhausting.”
It wasn’t just on the field where the Diamondbacks were challenged. They lost their co-closer Justin Martinez to shoulder inflammation in New York and then got to Philadelphia and learned that co-ace Corbin Burnes, who they signed to a six-year, $210 million contract, also had shoulder inflammation.
Burnes will not make his scheduled start Monday and will be replaced by Ryne Nelson, who has remained stretched out while pitching out of relief this season. The team does not plan to put Burnes on the IL and they expect him to start Saturday.
When it came to the games, the Diamondbacks were tasked with taking on two of the NL East’s better teams, and though they hoped for better after taking two of three from the Mets, they wound up finishing the trip at 3-3 after they took the finale against the Phillies, 11-9, in 10 innings on Sunday at Citizens Bank Park.
Had the Diamondbacks not won after leading by six runs in the fourth inning, the flight home to Phoenix would have felt a lot longer and they would have had a far different opinion about the road trip as a whole.
Still, even with the win and good feelings, they still don’t feel like they’ve played their best baseball yet.
“We didn't play our best really on the road trip,” designated hitter Randal Grichuk said. “But we snuck out .500 so I think there's a lot of potential and upside moving forward. And it's definitely one of those things where if we keep plugging along, I think it's going to click at some point.”
The Diamondbacks were able to get a feel for how they stacked up against a pair of heavyweight NL contenders.
“Incomplete,” is the grade Lovullo gave his team. “Because we have yet to play our best baseball. We’ve got to start clicking on all cylinders and when we do, everybody's going to know. But yeah, when you compare yourself to the two teams in the NL East, and one [the Mets] is clearly pacing the NL East, and you come home 3-3, I'm OK with that. I want to win more than we lose, for sure, but I'm OK given the circumstances.”
Now the Diamondbacks head home to warmer and drier weather, but the schedule gets no easier for them.
Waiting for them in Phoenix are the Mets for three games and then the Dodgers for three over the weekend. After that they go back on the road for a series against the Giants. All three of those teams would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.
“We know what we're faced up against,” Lovullo said. There's no letup. It's the big leagues, and that's why it's such a special level. We'll be ready to play, and we're excited about this win, we're gonna enjoy it coming home tonight, excited about that, and to play in front of our fans tomorrow.”