How the Diamondbacks Beat Themselves in Their Sweep Loss to the Marlins
The Arizona Diamondbacks were swept by the Miami Marlins at home over the weekend, pushing their record to 41-42. Here are the key takeaways from the series, which echo ongoing concerns but with an escalating sense of urgency:
1. Bullpen Woes Continue to Haunt the Diamondbacks
The bullpen’s struggles were the main factor in all three losses of this series. On Friday, a 5-4 Marlins lead ballooned to 9-5 late in the game, despite a late rally by Arizona.
In the second game, the Diamondbacks had a 7-3 lead heading into the eighth inning but ended up losing 8-7 in extra innings. On Sunday, they squandered a 2-1 lead in the eighth, allowing the Marlins to surge ahead 6-2. Arizona mounted a comeback but ultimately fell 6-4.
Over the series, the bullpen’s numbers were troubling, even for a unit already ranked near the bottom of the league: 12.2 IP, 15 H, 14 ER, 9 BB, 17 K, 3 HR. The relievers now have an ERA of 5.31, placing them 28th in MLB.
The team can no longer attribute these struggles to the injuries of A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez. There is simply no good explanation for why the bullpen is performing this poorly. It’s clear that the situation is becoming a growing concern for everyone: the front office, manager, players, and fans alike.
2. Defensive Mistakes Persist
The Diamondbacks committed five errors in the series, leading to four unearned runs in the first two games—both of which were one-run losses. The team’s defense has been a major issue this season. They now have 12 multi-error games, compared to 11 all of last year, and have given up 37 unearned runs in 2025, already outpacing last year’s total of 46.
In the final game of the series, two errors by Eugenio Suarez didn’t result in unearned runs but did increase the pitcher’s workload, forcing Eduardo Rodriguez out of the game after 5.1 innings and bringing in the struggling bullpen early.
Suarez’s defense has been a weak spot all season, and his two errors in the finale brought his season total to 11, tied for the second-most in MLB. While advanced metrics suggest he’s just slightly below average, his errors have been costly, often coming at the worst possible moments.
Manager Torey Lovullo pointed out that Suarez’s footwork has been an issue, explaining that he tends to “stab at the ball” instead of properly “dancing with the ball”—a comment that suggests a deeper technical problem.
3. Diamondbacks’ Playoff Hopes Fading
The D-backs are now 5.0 games out of the third NL Wild Card spot, with four teams ahead of them. The results from Sunday underscored how difficult it will be to overcome this gap.
While the Padres and Giants are stumbling, falling out of Wild Card contention, the Cardinals have surged ahead with a three-game win streak to claim the third spot. Meanwhile, the Reds, who walked off the Padres, are 2.5 games ahead of Arizona and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker after sweeping the Diamondbacks earlier in the season.
Arizona can’t rely on other teams’ struggles to create opportunities. Their best shot at staying in the race before the July 31 trade deadline is to get at least four or five games above .500 and make up significant ground on the teams ahead of them.
Without that improvement, it’s hard to see general manager Mike Hazen making bold moves before the deadline. If he doesn’t push to buy, he’ll likely either sell or implement a hybrid approach like in 2019. That year, the team looked out of the race but rallied back into contention before ultimately collapsing in September and missing the playoffs.
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