Diamondbacks’ Torey Lovullo makes candid promise after loss to Dodgers

The Arizona Diamondbacks have played inspired baseball in the second half of the season, overcoming a slow start to become a favorite to clinch a wild-card spot in the National League. But manager Torey Lovullo isn’t resting on his laurels. After dropping two of their first three games in a four-game series against the division rival Los Angeles Dodgers, the Diamondbacks would have liked to finish strong to echo their 14-3 victory on Sunday. Alas, Arizona simply couldn’t stop the runs from scoring and suffered an 11-6 loss on Monday.

The Diamondbacks’ offense has been what has allowed them to flourish this season, as their pitching has simply not been up to par. They rank 13th in the National League in runs allowed per game, with only the Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies allowing more this season, and that proved to be a problem in their series against the Dodgers. LA scored a combined 32 runs in the series, and that’s just not a recipe for winning baseball.

Regardless, manager Torey Lovullo took responsibility for the Diamondbacks’ loss and vowed to be better as they look to secure their spot among the National League’s top six teams.

“We have to get better. I’m responsible for that. I’m going to make sure we fix the things that need to be fixed. There were too many mistakes in this game today,” Lovullo said, via ESPN.

There’s not much Lovullo can do when the Diamondbacks’ pitchers are struggling this much. Starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez entered the night with a 5.06 ERA, while Jordan Montgomery and Slade Cecconi, the first two relievers Lovullo called upon, had 6.16 and 6.14 ERAs, respectively.

Lovullo might have managed his bullpen better; it shouldn’t be possible that the Diamondbacks’ best options are pitchers with an ERA above six. Better attention to detail could help the Diamondbacks, especially when the team’s pitchers are performing worse than they did last season.

Diamondbacks’ pitching woes come to the forefront

The good news for the Diamondbacks is that their top three starting rotation has been pretty solid in 2024. Zac Gallen may have underperformed in 2023, but he’s still been more than solid with a 3.87 ERA this season in 24 starts. Meanwhile, Brandon Pfaadt has made significant progress from his mediocre rookie season, and Ryne Nelson has made plenty of progress as well.

However, Merrill Kelly has yet to find his groove amid an injury-riddled 2024. Kelly allowed six runs (four earned) in 5.1 innings of work Saturday in an 8-6 loss to the Dodgers, and he needs to return to his 2023 form soon if he wants to become an impact pitcher for the team down the stretch.

And then there’s the disastrous addition of Jordan Montgomery, the left-hander who was part of the Texas Rangers team that beat the Diamondbacks in the 2023 World Series. After a solid 2023 campaign in which he posted a 4.3 WAR (per Fangraphs), Montgomery has struggled, to say the least, in the Valley. His strikeout, walk and home run rates are all down from last year, and his peripherals are confirming what was a dreadful 2024 season.

There won’t be an easy pitching solution for Torey Lovullo; the hope now for the Diamondbacks is that they continue to outperform the opposition going forward.