What happened to the Diamondbacks offense?

The Arizona Diamondbacks are known for their high-caliber offense and have led the entire MLB in runs scored for quite some time.

They scored 826 runs in 2024, the most by a wide margin, as the MVP-laden Los Angeles Dodgers overtook the Yankees with 760 runs scored and relegated them to second place.

With 5.47 runs scored per game, they still lead the majors and are still almost half a run ahead of the Dodgers (5.03).

But they certainly haven't looked like the best offense in baseball over the last two games, even considering the first game of their home series against the Brewers, in which they scored one run. At the hitter's paradise of Coors Field, they've managed fourteen hits and seven walks while recording just twelve strikeouts in two games.

On paper, 21 baserunners in 18 innings doesn't seem like a bad number. But they only have 2 of 15 runners in scoring position — one of which was an infield single by Eugenio Suarez that didn't advance a runner. They've scored just four runs total in two games in a stadium that screams for runs.

In the first game, Arizona's power seemed to grow early, as Ketel Marte hit a two-run shot in the first inning on a leadoff triple by Corbin Carroll. Those runs would be the last the D-backs scored in the game.

Part of this can be attributed to bad luck with the batted balls. The D-backs have hit 11 balls over 100 mph so far in the series. Five of them resulted in outs.

They had no trouble getting the first batter on, but they also threw five double plays in two games. It's not that they don't make the Rockies pitchers work early in the game; Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela had to throw 67 pitches to get through three innings.

But after the first inning, his scoring stopped. In the second game against Ryan Feltner, he managed a very efficient 6 2/3 innings with only 93 pitches.

So what's going on with the D-backs offense? From this writer's perspective, the problem is two-fold. From an observational standpoint, Arizona is missing hittable balls early and then trying to hit them in less than ideal spots.

This has led to a lot of hard contact, but often into the ground or just not far enough to sufficiently utilize the height. It's not like they're chasing too far outside the zone either. Both Senzatela and Feltner have been able to stay in their command for the most part.

Senzatela threw 62% of his pitches for strikes in his appearance. Feltner threw nearly 68% of his pitches for strikes. In total, the Rockies starters threw 105 strikes in their 160 pitches. And that trend continued in the Rockies bullpen in both games.

Considering that both starters faced only 12 total whiffs in 9 2/3 innings, it's a fact that they were simply hitting the zone with their fastballs and breaking balls. The D-backs saw countless pitches that were counted as strikes without taking a swing, and they allowed 35 strikes against Rockies starters.

It's easier to say “swing the bat” or “keep your hands off” than to execute it at the highest level – that much is understandable. Even some of the hardest hits in this series so far have resulted in outs.

But overall, the D-backs' approach looks a little different than usual. Instead of swinging early, hard and often, they allow strikes to pass but swing freely on less than ideal pitches with runners on the field, leading to double plays and unproductive outs on weak contact.

It's also easy to make conceptual generalizations, but the D-backs have been a disciplined team all season when it counted. With runners on the field, forcing the Rockies pitchers to step up and execute long at-bats and innings will be critical to getting the offense going, but that also means the D-backs will have to grab throws that give them a chance early.

The key to Wednesday's game and returning to Arizona's high scoring rate is to force the Rockies staff, which has struggled with inconsistency and general strike throwing, to work hard without allowing easy outs while also sending the message early that Colorado can't just get away with stealing strikes in the early going.