LOS ANGELES – The Diamondbacks finished July on the kind of run that spring-boarded them to the NL West pennant a year ago. In the process, they put themselves in almost the exact position they were in then.
The D-backs played so well in last two weeks of the month, going 9-3 and scoring almost seven runs a game, that it was almost enough to undo the damage done in three-game sweeps by San Diego and the Chicago Cubs on either side of the All-Star break.
They led the NL with 134 runs and were second in on-base percentage while going 14-13 overall, their second consecutive winning month.
Coulda/shoulda been All-Stars Jason Kubel, Aaron Hill and Paul Goldschmidt led the attack, and No. 1 starter Ian Kennedy seemed to regain his groove.
All were good signs as the D-backs entered an important August stretch in which they play 14 of their first 17 games on the road, with the only home series in that stretch against NL East leader Washington.
It was their second consecutive month of offensive proficiency.
Kubel, propelled by his three-homer game on July 21, led the National League with 12 home runs in July, tied with Minnesota's Josh Willingham for the most in the major leagues. Kubel drove in 22 runs, while Miguel Montero and Goldschmidt had 18 apiece.
Goldschmidt had nine doubles. Hill had seven. Chris Young had six.
"It's that time of the year when you have to wake up, I guess," Montero said with a grin after his three-run home run provided the impetus in an 8-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on the last day of the month.
Manager Kirk Gibson likes what he's seen.
"We're swinging the bats pretty good … the impact bats," Gibson said.
"We're kind of resembling much more what we did in the past and what made us successful."
The first two games in Los Angeles made the point. The D-backs scored 15 runs, 13 coming on four home runs, two by Goldschmidt and one each by Montero and newcomer Chris Johnson.
Offense: A
Where to start? Kubel continued his run as the bang-for-the-buck free agent acquisition of the offseason, moving into the NL lead in RBI at 72 for a week before being passed by St. Louis' Carlos Beltran. With Hill, Kubel, Goldschmidt, Justin Upton and Montero primarily hitting in the 2-6 spots, the D-backs scored at least 11 runs three times in eight games and had at least six runs nine times. And how about new third baseman Chris Johnson? He had six RBI in his first two games after being acquired two days before the trading deadline, with grand slam in his first game Monday. The lineup was deep without Johnson. Although two days is a small sample size, it looks deeper now.
Defense: B
Johnson has good range and what scouts call a plus arm at third base, further solidifying a defense that finished the month with the fewest errors (54) in the NL for the season. Stephen Drew has made all the plays at shortstop, and it has been difficult to tell in his first full month back that he missed 11 ½ months with a fractured ankle. Versatile Willie Bloomquist has played a solid third base when asked, despite not playing there much in his career. Montero has thrown out 44 percent of runners attempting to steal, a statistical tie with St. Louis' Yadier Molina. The D-backs' middle infielders, primarily Hill and Bloomquist, have a combined eight errors. Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon, not to pick on anyone, has 17 himself.
Starting pitching: B-
The return of an ace cannot be discounted – the most encouraging sign was Ian Kennedy's final three starts of the month. He won all three while going eight, eight and 6 1/3 innings and striking out 23. Kennedy credits his fastball location. When he can keep it down and throw it for strikes early in the count, it opens up the rest of his repertoire. Trevor Cahill and Josh Collmenter also won three times in July, although Collmenter since has returned to the bullpen. One of the D-backs' best moves at the trading deadline was not to move Joe Saunders, who made three quality starts after returning from the disabled list following the All-Star break. There was interest, but the D-backs were not about to trade a reliable left-hander in the middle of a pennant race, even if he is likely to test the free-agent market again in the offseason. Boston wanted Saunders when Kevin Youkilis was being discussed two months ago.
Relief pitching: A
The D-backs' bullpen had the benefit of facing few stressful situations because of the way the offense was rolling, but when called upon, it was superb. It all starts with closer J.J. Putz, who converted all five of his save opportunities and was not scored upon in eight appearances while extending his streak of save conversions to 10 in a row. Putz gave up six hits, all singles, and a walk, and he erased three of those runners on double play. Craig Breslow, traded to Boston at the deadline, had a 1.08 ERA in the month, and Takashi Saito gave up only one earned run in his first five appearances of the season after being activated from the disabled list. Stepping back a week into June, the D-backs' 2.27 bullpen ERA in their last 103 innings was the best in the majors.
Management
Kevin Towers did not make flashy moves at the non-waiver trade deadline Tuesday, but Johnson's addition certainly seemed to be a power upgrade at third base for a team that was near the bottom in OPS at the position. New right-hander Matt Albers, whose fastball is in the mid-90 mph range, will join the team in Philadelphia on Friday. While Albers has pitched in relative anonymity in Boston, it is pretty hard to argue with anything Towers does a bullpen … Heath Bell, Luke Gregerson and Mike Adams were among his relief finds while in San Diego. Teams wanted top prospects such as Tyler Skaggs, Patrick Corbin at the trade deadline, but the D-backs resisted a knee-jerking response to other moves around the division.
Player of the month
Towers was sampling the local fare in Bruges, Belgium, when he decided to back off his pursuit of Hiroki Kuroda and go in Kubel's direction. It was a prescient move. Kubel's swing plays perfectly at Chase Field, where he has more home runs (17) than the San Francisco Giants do at AT&T Park (16). Kubel can drive the ball with top-spin to all fields, and Chase Field is a perfect fit, as his three-dinger game July 21 showed – one to left field, one to left-center and one to right. Kubel's 11 homers were a franchise record for July and tied for third in any month in franchise history, behind Luis Gonzalez's 13 in April 2001 and 12 in June 2001.
Positive developments
Montero tweaked his approach to put more load on his back leg, and the results were immediate – 11 RBI in the last 11 games of the month. ... Young has had better at-bats against right-handed pitchers, Johnson has been a great fit at third, and Kennedy regained his fastball command.
Sore spots
The glut on the left side of the infield has made it hard to find playing time for Bloomquist, who has been their best leadoff hitter and is hitting .397 with runners in scoring position, second in the majors to Boston's Adrian Gonzalez. ... It has been hard to find playing time in center field for Young and Gerardo Parra. Young is their best defender at the position, but his recovery at the plate has been slow after he missed time with a shoulder injury. ... Justin Upton is not producing the way he did last season, although Hill, Kubel, Goldschmidt and Montero have picked up the slack.
The month ahead
The D-backs have their most strenuous road stretch of the season in August, continuing a road trip that began in Los Angeles with stops in Philadelphia (three games) and Pittsburgh (four). After just enough time to do the laundry and repack during a three-game home series against Washington on Aug. 10-12, the D-backs take their final trip east of the Rockies to play St. Louis and what remains of Houston. Included in the month is the first doubleheader in Chase Field history on Aug. 22, set up to avoid breaking a rule against playing more than 20 consecutive days. It is part of a 10-game homestand that features winnable series against Miami and San Diego. NL Central leader Cincinnati makes its only trip to Arizona Aug. 27-29 before the D-backs end the month the way they began, with a road series against the Dodgers.
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