News » The Arizona Diamondbacks opened the season

PHOENIX (AP) —with the NL’s best record in April and stayed near the top of the NL West most of the season Craig Stammen Jersey , leading the division at the beginning of every month.A September swoon knocked them quickly out of contention.Plagued by bullpen blowups, untimely hitting slumps and a bit of trying too hard, the Diamondbacks finished a once-promising season 82-80. Arizona had a winning record in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2007-08, but finishing nine games back in the NL West was not what the Diamondbacks had in mind after ending a five-year playoff-less streak last season.“We’re not where we need to be right now, clearly,” Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen said Monday. “There were certainly some good things that happened this season, but it wasn’t what we envisioned in terms of what our goals were. Our goal was to go out and compete for a World Series championship and we didn’t do that.”Despite a string of injuries to key players and a couple of summer slumps, Arizona entered September with a one-game lead in the NL West. The Diamondbacks opened the month with three straight losses and finished it 8-19 to drop out of playoff contention.Arizona’s bullpen, reliable most of the season, went into a funk in September, blowing numerous leads. The Diamondbacks’ lineup went flat, producing most of its runs in early innings before going quiet late in games.And, as the pressure built, the Diamondbacks seemed to try too hard to get that big hit or out http://www.padresfanproshop.com/authentic-trevor-hoffman-jersey , often digging the hole even deeper.“When you try so hard to get something and you can’t reach it, it just ends up backing up on you,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said.Now the Diamondbacks face a decision: Rebuild or retool slightly.Arizona certainly needs to make changes and could potentially lose two key players in left-hander Patrick Corbin and outfield A.J. Pollock to free agency. The Diamondbacks have to decide if they’re only a couple players away from being contenders again or overhaul the roster.“We need to objectively look at what our circumstances are, what the landscape’s going to be, where we feel like the talent is going to be on our roster, what we can do conceivably to make moves to improve our roster,” Hazen said. “Clearly, we need to improve our roster.”Other things to know about the Diamondbacks’ season:MAGADAN OUTThe Diamondbacks mutually agreed to part ways with hitting coach Dave Magadan on Monday, ending his three-year stint in the desert. Arizona was one of baseball’s worst-hitting teams at .235 this season and has dropped its average each of the past three seasons. The rest of Lovullo’s staff will remain.INJURIESThe Diamondbacks had more than their fair share of injuries.Right-hander Taijuan Walker, a member of the opening day rotation, made three starts before needing season-ending Tommy John surgery. Starting third baseman Jake Lamb had season-ending shoulder surgery in early August. Pollock, fellow outfield Steven Souza Jr. and left-hander Robbie Ray each had stints on the DL.CORBIN AND POLLOCKCorbin was an All-Star and Pollock has put up big numbers when he’s been healthy. The Diamondbacks may not be able to afford either. Corbin is coming off his best season, going 11-7 with a 3.15 ERA while logging 200 innings for the second time in his career. He will be one of the top free-agent targets for teams this offseason. Pollock hit 21 home runs in an injury-plagued 2018 season and was an All-Star in 2015. Arizona will have two big holes to fill if both leave.GOLDSCHMIDT’S SEASONAll-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt had another productive season, finishing with 33 homers and 83 RBIs while hitting .290. But the year didn’t start or end well for him. Goldschmidt had an abysmal first two months of the season and Evan Longoria Jersey , after a big rebound, closed with a thud, going 7 for 41 with 18 strikeouts over the final 12 games. Goldschmidt, Arizona’s best and most popular player, enters the final year of his contract in 2019, so the Diamondbacks face a big decision. CINCINNATI (AP) — Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison put arms around each other as they walked off the field after Pittsburgh’s season-ending victory, enjoying perhaps their final moment together on a Pirates team they helped resurrect.Pablo Reyes scored on Jackson Stephens‘ wild pitch in the top of the 10th inning Sunday, rallying the Pirates to a 6-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds that sent both teams into the offseason with notable changes ahead.Mercer and Harrison helped turned the Pirates into winners, but it’s unlikely the shortstop and second baseman will be in the middle of Pittsburgh’s infield next season. Mercer is a free agent and Harrison’s contract includes a pricey $10.5 million club option for next year.“Surreal,” Mercer said of their final moments on the field together. “We’ve kind of ridden the wave. It’s been me and him the whole time.” Starling Marte and Josh Bell homered for the Pirates, who finished 82-79 — their most wins since they last made the playoffs in 2015. They head into next season with a solid rotation and bullpen, their best hopes for getting back into contention in the NL Central.Marte’s homer was his 20th, making him the third player in team history with at least 20 homers and 30 steals in the same season.Reyes doubled in the 10th off Stephens (2-3), advanced on an error and scored on the wild pitch. Michael Feliz (1-2) pitched the ninth Andrew McCutchen Jersey , and Felipe Vazquez got his 37th save in 42 chances.Clint Hurdle got his 1,200th career win as a major league manager. Bruce Bochy, Buck Showalter and Terry Francona are the other active managers with that many. Mike Scioscia was on that list as well, but he stepped down as Angels manager Sunday. Hurdle joked that he was the “outlier” in the group.“It’s humbling, and you leave it there and you move on,” Hurdle said. “The four names — Scioscia, Bochy, Francona and Showalter. Again, it would be one of those captions: What’s wrong with this picture?”The Reds finished 67-95, their fourth straight season with at least 90 losses — the second-worst stretch in franchise history. Their first item in the offseason is choosing a next manager.Bryan Price was fired after a 3-15 start, and the Reds went 64-80 under interim manager Jim Riggleman. He’ll be interviewed Monday, and the Reds plan to pick a manager by the end of October. Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin has told the team he isn’t interested at this time.“If I continue to do it, it’s best-case scenario,” Riggleman said. “If I don’t http://www.giantsfanproshop.com/authentic-tony-watson-jersey , I’ll respect whatever decision the Reds come up with. I’ve been in the organization now seven years. I’m extremely familiar with the player development system, our current major league roster and our coaches. I love to manage.”The Reds were one of a record eight major league teams to finish with at least 95 losses this year. There were seven in 2002.OHIO RIVER DOMINATIONThe Pirates won eight of their last nine games against the Reds and took the season series 14-5.LAST HURRAHRiggleman gave several regulars a curtain call . First baseman Joey Votto and center fielder Billy Hamilton took their positions to start the fourth inning and were subbed out, removing their jerseys and handing them to fans on the way to the dugout. Third baseman Eugenio Suarez got a curtain call in the fifth and tossed his cap to a fan.DWINDLING CROWDS AT GABPThe Reds drew 1,629,356 at Great American Ball Park, their smallest home attendance since 1984 when they were at Riverfront Stadium. Attendance has slid significantly each of the last three seasons as the team languished in rebuilding mode.“Oh, it’s definitely noticeable,” catcher Tucker Barnhart said. “It’s pretty hard to not notice it when you can hear the light towers buzzing. It just means we have to play better. If you play better, more people will come.”UP NEXTThe Ohio River rivals will reunite at Great American to open next season, playing at 4:10 p.m. on Thursday, March 28.