At the midway point of the season nothing is following script for the Arizona Diamondbacks who some projected to be a playoff team after revamping their roster last winter.
The D-backs have the second-fewest home wins in baseball (15) and are second-to-last in the National League in winning percentage (.422). Did we mention they sit a mountainous 19 games behind front-running San Francisco in the NL West.
Despite another season of likely missing the playoffs one MLB insider doesn’t expect wholesale with the manager or higher executives.
“I’m hearing no,” ESPN’s Pedro Gomez told Sports360AZ.com’s Brad Cesmat during a phone interview Tuesday morning. “I did speak to [Paul] Goldschmidt about this and one thing he told me is Chip has not lost the [team]…that’s not the reason things haven’t gone well.”
Gomez believes the players have taken responsibility for their shortcomings, not pointed fingers at the manager or coaches which has become the norm in professional sports.
“For [Goldschmidt] to come out and say Chip has not lost the room, that tells you a lot right there,” Gomez explained.
Owner Ken Kendrick has had a track record of not being the most patient when it comes to performance but Gomez says there is a trust factor with Kendrick and chief baseball officer and Hall-of-Famer Tony La Russa who has essentially been handed the decision-making keys to the D-backs.
“When they hired Tony La Russa it was with the understanding that Tony and Dave Stewart would have the say,” Gomez said. “I don’t see it happening now but with Ken Kendrick you just never know.”
Eric Sorenson
