Bay Area Baseball

Reynolds had a run producing year, but also set the Major League record in strikeouts. Photo: AP

Arizona’s collapse is complete. A 23-28 record with a six game losing streak in September doomed the team that came into the month with their destiny in their own hands as the odds on favorite to win the National League West. Instead of finishing strong, the folded in the mold of the 2007 New York Mets, losing as many as six consecutive games. Their 10-13 finish presents plenty of blame as does their equally weak August performance when they went 13-14. Losing records in the closing months of the season is a sign of poor management as well as tight play.

Their major collapse started with the Florida series on the 22^nd of August when the bullpen and acquired Jon Rauch blew a late inning lead. The team would win the next day behind Yusmiero Petit then lose four straight including back to back losses in starts for aces Brandon Webb and Dan Haren. Heading into Los Angeles with a small lead, Arizona decided to skip Petit’s next start in order to get Haren and Webb starts against the Dodgers. The plan backfired completely. Both Webb and Haren were shelled, and Petit lost his groove and finished with an ERA nearly double his ERA at the time.

Closer Brandon Lyon showed why he has been traded so many times by faltering so badly that he lost his closer’s role. The team’s inability to score runs for budding star Max Scherzer was also a major issue, while he pitched well all season posting a 3.05 ERA, he did not record a single victory, including in his last four starts when he allowed just nine runs.

Arizona has some major decisions to make, and there has to be serious question about whether or not they have the right management in place. While they looked strong for most of this season, much of their collapse can be attributed to poor offseason planning. They traded closer Jose Valverde who has now posted 40+ saves in consecutive season. He would have helped greatly in the place of Lyon. They let Carlos Queintin go and he led the American League in home runs. He could have been used when Eric Byrnes went down for the year. They acquired Jon Rauch, who was horrible and offered nothing at the end of games. They will have to make a decision on Adam Dunn and determine if there is a spot for him or Conor Jackson in the outfield since Byrnes was resigned to a big contract. A team that once looked so promising now has big problems and a long offseason ahead.

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