D-backs seek resiliency after tough trip to LA

LOS ANGELES -- Riding the high of taking three of four from the Reds in Arizona over the weekend, the D-backs headed to Dodger Stadium hopeful to keep their hot play going. Manager Torey Lovullo predicted it would be a “really exciting series.”

Unfortunately for the D-backs, most of the excitement ended up coming at their expense, with a 7-0 loss on Wednesday night capping a sweep for the Dodgers.

The Reds beat the Giants, so the D-backs remain half a game behind San Francisco for the third and final NL Wild Card spot. They’re a half-game up on Cincinnati, and they’re now 2 1/2 games behind the Cubs for the second Wild Card spot.

“I think we've been a very resilient team,” Lovullo said. “We know that we're a good team and our guys are frustrated right now. … So I know they're wearing it, but I want them to turn the page, because we can’t do a darn thing about it. We know we didn't play good here.”

Following uncharacteristically shaky performances from Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly in the first two games, rookie Brandon Pfaadt was unable to play stopper in the finale, getting tagged for six runs (five earned) in four innings. The right-hander allowed two homers, plus a couple of flyouts to the warning track that just missed leaving the yard -- an unwelcome return of an issue that troubled him earlier this year.

“I think we let a good team have too many pitches to hit, wasted too many pitches early,” Pfaadt said. “So I think we need to do a better job of that and get better at that, for sure.”

It wasn’t just the pitching, of course. In the three games, the D-backs were outscored 23-5. The timely hitting that carried them to 10 wins in 12 games ahead of this series wasn’t there, as they went just 2-for-20 with runners in scoring position.

“It's been a long couple of days,” Lovullo said. “You score one run over 18 innings and really have limited opportunities to score runs. I mean, there were some chances, but not what we've been doing as of late. So offensively, we've got to figure this out.”

What appeared to be an extremely competitive rivalry in the early part of the season has looked like anything but since. After winning five of their first eight games against the Dodgers, the D-backs proceeded to go 0-5 in the teams’ remaining regular-season meetings.

That early-season dominance wasn’t limited to the Dodgers, with the D-backs spending the better part of the first three months in first place. They enjoyed a lead over Los Angeles as high as four games on June 17. The clubs were tied atop the NL West to close out the first half; immediately post-All-Star break, the Dodgers climbed past and haven’t looked back. Heading into the final day of August, Arizona is 15 games behind L.A.

“The Dodgers are good,” Lovullo said. “I want to be respectful of every opponent. [We were 5-8] against the Dodgers this year -- and look, that's improvement. Those are improvements over the past couple years. But it's not where I want to end up. We got to be better against this team in particular, especially in this venue.”

Now that they’re done with the Dodgers, the D-backs have 28 games left in the regular season -- and it’s not an easy schedule. Of their nine remaining series, five are against postseason contenders. That includes two series (seven games total) against the Cubs, plus a two-game set against the Giants, all of which could have major implications for the NL Wild Card race.

If the D-backs want to punch their ticket to the playoffs, they’re going to have to find the consistency that’s largely eluded them this season. Another bad run like the nine-game losing streak that opened their August could signal the end for those ambitions.

Maybe they can figure it out via internal fixes. Maybe they need to look elsewhere -- after all, there are potentially reinforcements available via outright waivers. A middle-of-the-pack .515 winning percentage could actually serve as an advantage here, giving Arizona a good shot at picking up some new talent.

“If they [the front office] feel like it's gonna make us better, I'm sure that they'll act accordingly,” Lovullo said. “It hasn’t gotten to me yet. It's not my department. But I'm sure that they're mulling over a lot of the considerations.”