Arizona Diamondbacks Narrowly Missed Brutal MLB History

The reigning National League Champion Arizona Diamondbacks have gotten off to a relatively slow start in the 2024 MLB season. The Diamondbacks are 12-13 entering play on Wednesday as they continue their series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

That puts them in third place in the NL West in the early going, 2.0 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and a half-game behind the San Diego Padres. When taking a look at how the Diamondbacks have performed, it is hard to fathom how they are under the .500 mark.

They are currently fourth in the MLB with a team batting average of .261 and third in on-base percentage with a .339. It isn’t for a lack of power either, as they are seventh in slugging percentage at .410, ranking second in doubles and eighth in home runs.

Well, it has to be the pitching then one would think. But, Arizona has been solid enough to win games in that facet as well. Their team ERA of 3.90 is 13th in the majors. They are tied for seventh with 10 quality starts.

That translates to a run differential of +39 on the season. There are only two teams in baseball, the Cleveland Guardians and the Atlanta Braves, who are both atop their respective divisions with 17 and 16 wins respectively, and have a better run differential than the Diamondbacks this season.

According to OptaSTATS on X, the Diamondbacks are accomplishing something we haven’t seen in two centuries. Their +39 is the second-best run differential for a team through 25 games of the season that has a losing record. The record is currently held by the Philadelphia Athletics from 1888.