D-backs Stat of the Day: July 2021
MLB.com is keeping track of a Stat of the Day for the D-backs this season, highlighting a unique, interesting or fun nugget from each game.
July 31: Dodgers 8, D-backs 3 -- Games allowing 15-plus hits
Arizona pitchers allowed 16 hits to the Dodgers, marking the eighth time this year that the D-backs have allowed 15 or more hits in a game. It's the most they've allowed in a season since they allowed 15 games of 15 or more hits in 2016.
July 30: D-backs 6, Dodgers 5 (10 innings) -- Three Mexican-born players
When left-hander Miguel Aguilar made his Major League debut against the Dodgers, he became the third player born in Mexico to play for the D-backs in 2021, joining Joakim Soria and Humberto Castellanos. That matches the most Mexican-born players the D-backs have had play for them in a given season, which also occured in '03 and '04.
July 28: D-backs 3, Rangers 2 -- A rare one-run win
The D-backs' win over the Rangers was a rare occurrence for the club this season: Arizona has a 4-21 record in one-run games, the fewest one-run victories in the Majors. The next closest team is the Blue Jays, who are 6-12 in such contests.
July 27: Rangers 5, D-backs 4 -- Calhoun takes it to old foe
D-backs outfielder Kole Calhoun had a nice day at the plate going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. That snapped him out of a recent funk at the plate and it shouldn't be a surprise that it came against the Rangers. In his career, Calhoun is hitting .282 (127-for-450) against Texas. The 127 hits are the most he has against any team.
July 25: Cubs 5, D-backs 1 -- Not so happy birthday
Happy Birthday? Not so much for D-backs manager Torey Lovullo, who celebrated his 56th birthday at Wrigley Field. According to Lovullo, he has never experienced a victory in the Majors on his birthday. That includes his playing career as well as his time as a coach with the Red Sox and manager of the D-backs.
July 24: D-backs 7, Cubs 3 -- Like father, like son
On Saturday, D-backs catcher Daulton Varsho hit his second home run in as many days at Wrigley Field. He went deep and drove in three runs in his Wrigley debut on Friday. Varsho's dad, Gary, played for the Cubs from 1988-90. In 99 career games at the Friendly Confines, he hit three homers.
July 23: Cubs 8, D-backs 3 -- 9 is the magic number
The D-backs did not score in the seventh or eighth innings against Cubs reliever Keegan Thompson and saw only nine pitches in each of those innings. Catcher Daulton Varsho led off the ninth against Thompson and hit a home run on the ninth pitch of the at-bat.
July 21: D-backs 6, Pirates 4 -- Bumgarner fans just one
In his second start since returning from the injured list, Madison Bumgarner held the Pirates to three runs (one earned) over five innings. His fastball (89.4 mph) and cutter (84.9 mph) velocity were vastly below his season averages (91 and 86.3), which led to him compiling just one strikeout, marking the first time that he struck out fewer than two batters in an outing since Sept. 6, 2014, vs. the Tigers. It was just the fourth start of Bumgarner's career in which he finished with one punchout or fewer.
July 20: D-backs 11, Pirates 6 -- A well-timed burst
After having been kept relatively in check by Pirates starter Tyler Anderson over the first six frames, the D-backs’ bats came to life once the bullpen doors swung open for the seventh. Thirteen batters came to the dish in what finished as an eight-run inning that propelled the club into the win column for the third game in a row. Josh VanMeter collected the only extra-base hits of the offensive eruption -- a triple and a double -- which marked the first time Arizona plated eight runs in a frame since Aug. 12, 2020, vs. the Rockies at Coors Field.
July 19: D-backs 4, Pirates 2 -- VanMeter's moonshot
Josh VanMeter’s solo home run in the second inning off Pirates starter Chase De Jong produced an exit velocity of 108.4 MPH, per Statcast, giving him the hardest hit homer by a left-handed D-backs batter at Chase Field this season. The blast marked the second-highest EV in VanMeter’s career, just below his career high of 108.5 mph, which he delivered on Aug. 12, 2020.
July 18: D-backs 6, Cubs 4 -- Not easy to come by
Eduardo Escobar's homer in the eighth helped the D-backs raise their record to 27-68. Arizona finished the month of April at 14-12, and has 13 wins since.
July 17: Cubs 4, D-backs 2 -- A save scarcity
The D-backs blew a save when Joakim Soria allowed three runs in the ninth inning. The D-backs have the fewest saves in the Majors with nine. By contrast, Craig Kimbrel, who came on to record the save for the Cubs, has 21 on the year.
July 16: Cubs 5, D-backs 1 -- Bumgarner trending upward
Madison Bumgarner allowed two runs over six innings against the Cubs, but only one was earned. It was the sixth start this season in which Bumgarner has allowed one or fewer earned runs while throwing five-plus innings. In 2020, he had just two such outings for the D-backs.
July 11: Dodgers 7, D-backs 4 -- Varsho ends homer drought
Varsho hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning, marking the first time he's gone deep this season. Before that, Varsho hadn't hit a big league home run since Sept. 15, 2020, a span of 120 MLB at-bats. It was also his first extra-base hit since a double on May 2.
July 10: Dodgers 22, D-backs 1 -- Two different stories
Through the first two games of the series, the D-backs had eight plate appearances with the bases loaded and came away with two runs -- both on walks. The Dodgers had three plate appearances with the bases loaded in this game alone and came away with 11 runs -- two grand slams and a three-run triple.
July 9: D-backs 5, Dodgers 2 -- Two more bases-loaded walks
The D-backs drew seven walks, including two with the bases loaded in the ninth. Drawing walks with the bases loaded has been a trend for the D-backs this year, as they have done so 14 times. That total ranks third in MLB behind the Astros and Braves, who each have 16.
July 8: Rockies 9, D-backs 3 -- Series sweep drought continues
It just wasn't meant to be. In their series-finale loss to the Rockies, the D-backs narrowly missed securing their first series sweep since sweeping a three-game set against the Reds on April 21-22, which included a doubleheader. Arizona has since gone 22 series of any length without a sweep, representing the second-longest such streak in the Majors, per the Elias Sports Bureau. The Pirates -- who haven't swept a series since sweeping a makeup doubleheader vs. the Cardinals on Aug. 27, 2020 -- own the longest such streak in MLB.
July 7: D-backs 6, Rockies 4 -- Castellanos' first RBI
Starting pitcher Humberto Castellanos wasted no time in his first MLB plate appearance, driving the first pitch he saw from Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela to deep center for a sacrifice fly in the second inning. Castellanos' drive had an exit velocity of 96.8 mph and traveled 354 feet before center fielder Garrett Hampson just barely snagged it for the out. The expected batting average on the hit: .290. Not bad for your first Major League swing.
July 6: D-backs 4, Rockies 3 -- Four straight doubles to start
The D-backs started the bottom of the first inning with four straight doubles, taking a 3-0 lead. It was the first time in franchise history that they opened a game with four consecutive doubles. It is also only the third time it's happened in the Majors since 1974.
July 4: Giants 5, D-backs 2 -- D-backs struggling against Giants
The D-backs' loss to the Giants on Sunday night dropped their record against San Francisco to 3-17 over the past two seasons. The D-backs have been outscored by the Giants 122-67.
July 3: Giants 6, D-backs 5 -- Faria collects first MLB hit
D-backs starter Jake Faria picked up his first Major League hit, smacking a leadoff double to left in the third inning. It was only the second professional plate appearance for Faria, who grounded out in his only other plate appearance in his previous start on June 28. The double had an exit velocity of 100.8 mph, per Statcast, and was only the second extra-base hit of the year for an Arizona pitcher. Madison Bumgarner also doubled on Opening Day on April 1.
July 2: Giants 11, D-backs 4 -- Escobar's 500th RBI
Eduardo Escobar led off the eighth inning with a home run, his 18th of the year and his 54th RBI of 2021. The RBI was also the 500th of his career.
July 1: D-backs 5, Giants 3 -- Kelly's RBI knock
Merrill Kelly blooped a broken-bat single into left field to drive home a run in the second inning. The hit was just the second of Kelly's career and it snapped a 44 at-bat hitless streak spanning 55 plate appearances. Kelly is now 2-for-79 in his career and his only other hit came on July 23, 2019, against the Orioles.