This last weekend I got out to Dodger Stadium (barf) to watch the Dodgers take on the Diamondbacks. I was down in Orange County and had a buddy up in LA. Also I was expecting to see Tommy play again, but he got a night off. There's my justification for visiting Dodger Stadium. I made sure to pop a beach ball and stay seated for the wave while I was out there. Nothing signals the lack of sophistication like batting around a party favor while a game is tied 2-2 in the 3rd inning. It felt so fitting that they gave up a homer while the wave was going around. Hopefully that teaches them 😁. Onto the game lessons...
It actually ended up being a great night for me as the Diamondbacks rolled the Dodgers 9-3. They ended up winning Saturday and Sunday as well becoming the first team to sweep the Dodgers this season. Going into the All-Star break, the Dodgers ended up committing 9 errors over their final 5 games (6 in the series with AZ). A couple of them maybe unforced, but a majority of them caused by the Diamondbacks athleticism. Here are some great examples of how Arizona puts pressure on the defense.
Top 1: Going 1st to 3rd on Hits
Right out of the gate the Diamondbacks get runners on the corners with 1 out in the top of the 1st. Corbin Carroll is the baserunner on 1st. Dodgers pitcher Kyle Hurt gets D'Backs cleanup hitter Gabriel Moreno into an 0-2 count. Here's the play -
Moreno vs. Hurt, Top 1, Runners on 1st and 3rd, 1 out
You see here Moreno smokes a ball through the 4 hole to drive in the runner from 3rd and Carroll never hesitates around 2nd, slides safely into 3rd, and the throw ends up going into the dugout to plate the 2nd run on the play.
Corbin Carroll has elite MLB speed. He's in the 97th percentile in sprint speed and has stolen over 30 bases the last two years (he also stole a bag in the 3rd inning of this game). Most guys can't go 1st to 3rd on this play, but the fact that he can, puts so much pressure on the defense. Not only does he put himself at 3rd with 1 out, but it also results in the ball finding the dugout to score the run and put another guy in scoring position.
I also liked the point the announcer made at the end when I watched this back. This pitch is up in the zone. Carroll's threat to steal a base may have forced Hurt to rush an 0-2 offspeed pitch, leaving it up and very hittable for Moreno.
Not everyone is going to be as fast as Carroll but this ball was smoked right at the outfielder. You see Tucker kind of lazily get to the ball because a normal runner isn't even thinking about an extra base on this. But if this is a little bit more left or right of Tucker out in right field, the average runner should be looking to go 1st to 3rd and put pressure on the defense. Especially with one out.
Top 6: Walk, Bunt, Steal, Contact Play
This inning should be an article in itself. Nolan Arenado leads off with a walk, a pressure play by being disciplined to the strike zone. Jorge Barrosa follows up with a sacrifice bunt. His speed puts pressure on the play and Tommy Edman throws it down the line to give the D'backs runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out.
Barrosa vs. Henriquez, Top 6, Runner on 1st, 0 outs
Tim Tawa singles to left to drive in a run and then steals 2nd to put Arizona right back in the 2nd and 3rd nobody out situation.
Tawa vs. Henriquez, Top 6, Runners on 2nd and 3rd, 0 outs
Ketel Marte pops out for an unproductive out, but then Geraldo Perdomo puts a ball on the ground with the contact play on. Freddie Freeman has no play at home plate because Barrosa is flying home and just takes the out at 1st.
Perdomo vs. Henriquez, Top 6, Runners on 2nd and 3rd, 1 out
This is a team playing the game to their strengths. The Diamondbacks use their discipline, speed, and athleticism to create their runs. They've hit the 3rd fewest homers in the entire league. This kind of baseball is how they have to play in order to be successful.
Side Note: Poise from Eduardo Rodriguez
I wrote up Eduardo Rodriguez earlier in the season for an outing against the Mets. He has continued his stellar season and was named to the 2026 NL All-Star team. He's thrown 114 innings so far this year to a 2.29 ERA with only 79 strikeouts. You have to know how to pitch to be this effective if you aren't striking out a ton of guys.
In last week's outing, Arizona gave him that 2-0 start right way. It was erased in 7 pitches. Shohei Ohtani hit a lead off homer and then Andy Pages followed it up with another one to make it 2-2. Rodriguez hadn't even recorded an out yet. He ended up finishing 6 innings and those were the only two runs he allowed. To settle into a groove after allowing back to back homers to start the night is super impressive. Throw in the fact that it was a Friday night at Dodger Stadium facing that lineup makes it even more so. Instead of allowing a couple pitches dictate the start of the weekend, he ends up being the tone setter and the D'backs go on to complete the sweep.
Summary
On the evening the Diamondbacks scored 9 runs. They were 3-14 with runners in scoring position (not good) and only hit one homer (for two of their runs). This is a more relatable version of success for high school players. If you play on real sized baseball fields, your team isn't going to be hitting 2-3 home runs per game. But you can put pressure on other teams to play catch. I promise your opponents won't be as good defensively as the Dodgers and look what speed and discipline did to them.
