PHOENIX -- After watching his team walk 10 batters, commit two errors and lose for the fourth straight game, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo summed things up in one word.
Unacceptable.
The Diamondbacks are reeling at the moment, having dropped the final game against the last place White Sox in Chicago last Wednesday and then getting swept at home by the Marlins.
Sunday wrapped up what was supposed to be a softer part of their schedule with three games each against the Rockies, White Sox and Marlins and Arizona came away from those games with a 4-5 record.
“What I saw out there today is unacceptable,” Lovullo said. “We got to be better than that. That's ultimately on me, and we're going to figure this out. That's a frustrating series, all credit to them. The Marlins are a good team, they're pushing, they got great players, but the Arizona Diamondbacks are a good baseball team and when we do things like that, it makes me think that we're underachieving.”
Expected to be a postseason team after signing free agent pitcher Corbin Burnes during the offseason and pushing the club payroll to record-high $195 million, the Diamondbacks have been hit with key injuries, including the loss of Burnes to Tommy John surgery.
After Sunday’s 6-4 loss, the Diamondbacks are 41-42, five games out of the final Wild Card spot, but more daunting is they have four teams ahead of them for it.
General manager Mike Hazen is looking for any reason to buy at the Trade Deadline, but his team is going to have to pick up the pace in order for that to happen.
The road only gets tougher for Arizona between now and the All-Star break.
The Diamondbacks are three games into a 17-game sprint to the break that doesn’t include an off day and they will have to face some tough competition. The Giants come to Chase Field for four games starting Monday, followed by three at home with the Royals.
Arizona finishes the first half with four games in San Diego and three against the Angels in Anaheim.
“This team will be ready to go,” Lovullo said. “I guarantee it. I know it's the Giants, the Royals, Padres, Angels before the break. We got to stay engaged. We got to just be ready to go. And I don't want to hear any excuses about our injuries or, you know, we're limping into the break.”
A tip for players: Don’t talk about your All-Star break plans in the clubhouse.
“I'm going to be paying very close attention to what is coming out of their mouths,” Lovullo said. “And if I hear something I don't like, I'm going to address it. ‘Yeah, I’m going here and here and here’, like no, there’s a place and time for that, not at the ballpark. Let's play baseball. Let's get ready to play baseball. So, I'll keep an ear to the ground. I want gas in [to the break], gas out. That's the mindset. There's no gimme games in baseball.”
The Diamondbacks certainly found that out over the past nine games. In each of the five losses during that stretch, they could have found a way to win with fewer mistakes.
“We have a certain standard here, and when we fall below that standard, that's what really bothers me," Lovullo said. "I know we've taken on a lot of injuries, right? Some with some excellent, excellent players. Some will be missing for weeks, some will be missing for a year. But we gotta play to our standard. I'm certainly frustrated because this year was supposed to be totally different, and we're right there. If we could just start playing our game, we're gonna be OK.”
Time is ticking, though, and patience is wearing thin.