Diamondbacks vs. Angels discussion

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Winslow, Arizona, A speed limit sign on the road to Meteor Crater. The crater was formed about 50,000 years ago. It is 560 feet deep and about three-quarters of a mile in diameter. It is now a major tourist attraction. (Photo by: Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Today’s Lineups​

ANGELS​	DIAMONDBACKS​
Zach Neto – SS	Ketel Marte – 2B
Mike Trout – CF	Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Nolan Schanuel – 1B	Corbin Carroll – RF
Jo Adell – RF	Lourdes Gurriel – LF
Nick Madrigal – 2B	Nolan Arenado – 3B
Wade Meckler – LF	Ildemaro Vargas – 1B
Denzer Guzman – 3B	Jordan Lawlar – CF
Logan O’Hoppe – C	Adrian Del Castillo – C
Donovan Walton – DH	LuJames Groover – DH
Reid Detmers – LHP	Merrill Kelly – RHP

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Where have the strikeouts gone? The D-backs’ pitching staff have K’d only 18.8% of batters faced this year, ahead of just the Rockies. Now, strikeouts are down over the league as a whole – perhaps due to ABS – but nowhere near as much. Last year, the D-backs were at 20.8%, and 21.2% and 22.2% in the seasons before that. This year, it’s the rotation which is to blame. The bullpen are actually fanning slightly more batters than in 2025 – 21.0%, compared to 20.6%. But the starting pitchers have plummeted from 21.0% to 17.5%. Which is odd, considering the great bulk of the rotation are the same men as they were last season.

Indeed, things would be even worse, if not for the new arrival, Michael Soroka, whose 24% K-rate is the best among the rotation. But everyone else has seen a clear – and, in some cases, very sharp – decline. Here are the numbers for the five returners (starts only for Ryne Nelson):

• Brandon Pfaadt: 19.2% > 15.1%
• Eduardo Rodriguez: 20.6% > 17.9%
• Merrill Kelly: 23.5% > 13.5%
• Ryne Nelson: 20.5% > 17.5%
• Zac Gallen: 21.5% > 14.8%

Among the 114 pitchers to have thrown at least sixty innings this year, Gallen is ranked 109th and Kelly 113th for K-rate (the latter ahead only of Colorado’s Tomoyuki Sugano). Merrill has one start so far this year with more than 5 K’s – last year, he had sixteen such outings. He and Zac have seen a decrease in their rates for both called and swinging strikes. Conversely, they’ve seen an increase in contact when they get swings outside the zone. It’s a significant factor in why both men have struggled this year, but the fact it’s happening to various degrees across the entire rotation does make we wonder if there’s something team-wide which is a factor.

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