PHOENIX -- June. It’s too early to tell if it’ll be a swoon or boon for the D-backs, but it will prove pivotal in providing a glimpse as to who this club is and will be in 2026.
Things kicked off with a 4-1 victory Monday night over the Dodgers in front of a raucous crowd at Chase Field.
If the win showed anything, it was that the current iteration of the club is one that will rely on its veterans, upstart youngsters and stars equally. Eduardo Rodriguez, in his 11th MLB campaign, tossed six innings of one-run ball to stymie a scorching-hot Dodgers offense, but he was backed by third-year outfielder Jorge Barrosa, who made a pair of running grabs that saw him lay out on the center-field turf. Homers from the 24-year-old Tommy Troy (the first career blast from Arizona's No. 4 prospect), the 35-year-old Nolan Arenado and the 32-year-old Ketel Marte first tied the game, then gave the D-backs the lead and then iced it, respectively.
Once the bullpen door swung open, Taylor Clarke, Brandyn Garcia and Paul Sewald all delivered scoreless frames.
The outing from Rodriguez marked the club’s 18th quality start since May 5, the most in the Majors. As a group, the D-backs have allowed fewer than two earned runs in 17 of their past 26 contests and rank in the top five across MLB in innings, ERA, BB/9 and WHIP over that span.
Arenado was asked pregame about the secret sauce that it takes to beat the Dodgers, who swept the D-backs to begin the 2026 campaign and entered having won 14 of their past 17 games by a combined 70 runs.
“Good pitching, good hitting and good defense,” he said.
Check, check and check.