Snakes Territory: An Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast

The Diamondbacks had seemingly pulled off an impressive comeback against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, but the Rangers then gave them a taste of their own medicine in the bottom of the ninth. Paul Sewald blew his first save of 2026 as the D-backs ultimately fell, 6-5. What went wrong for Sewald in the ninth? We also discuss the offense struggling to come through with runners in scoring position...

The Diamondbacks secured their first series win since mid-April on Sunday, beating the Mets 5-1 behind another dominant outing by Eduardo Rodriguez that saw him pitch into the ninth inning. What made E-Rod so effective? And why didn't Torey Lovullo let him finish the game? Plus, Ryan Waldschmidt had an excellent game, driving in three of the Diamondbacks' five runs and making a spectacular catch a...

Merrill Kelly looked (mostly) like his old self on Saturday, tossing seven innings of one-run ball as the Diamondbacks snapped their three-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over the New York Mets. What worked so well for Kelly, particularly as the game went on? Offensively, it was another quiet day, but Ildemaro Vargas' two-run single in the third proved to be enough. How concerned should we be ov...

With the offense in a funk, the Diamondbacks are calling up top prospect Ryan Waldschmidt to see if he can provide a boost. In a corresponding move, they designated outfielder Alek Thomas for assignment. What has allowed Waldschmidt to rise so rapidly through the Diamondbacks' farm system? And what should we expect from him in the majors? Plus, why did the D-backs designated Thomas for assignment...

Eduardo Rodriguez and Michael Soroka did their part against the Pittsburgh Pirates this week, but the Diamondbacks lost yet another series as the offense mustered only seven hits in the final two games. How concerning is Ketel Marte's slow start? Meanwhile, Rodriguez turned in perhaps his best start as a Diamondback. What worked so well for him on Tuesday? Also, we explore Ryne Nelson adding a new...

The Diamondbacks got swept by the Chicago Cubs, and all eyes are on a starting pitching staff that now has the worst ERA in baseball. Are there reasons to be hopeful that the D-backs' pitching staff can turns its season around? We dive in to the rest-of-season projections for D-backs pitchers, including starters, relievers and some of their minor-league depth. Plus, we discuss a recent trend of ba...

Chicago Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga blanked the Diamondbacks for seven innings as the D-backs dropped their fourth game in their past five and moved to 2-5 on their road trip. Why did the D-backs struggle so much against Imanaga, and why didn't Gabriel Moreno pinch hit in the seventh? Meanwhile, D-backs starter Ryne Nelson took a big step in the right direction. Will he need to use his secondar...

The Diamondbacks dropped two of three to the Brewers in Milwaukee, and the two losses were about as ugly as it gets. D-backs pitchers allowed a total of 28 runs in the series, with Merrill Kelly, Michael Soroka and the since-demoted Andrew Hoffmann all allowing big crooked numbers. Is there any hope for the D-backs struggling pitching staff? Meanwhile, Ildemaro Vargas' historic hit streak lives on...

Down 7-1 to the San Diego Padres in the sixth inning on Sunday, the Diamondbacks stormed back to win one of the more memorable games in recent years. Of course, Ildemaro Vargas had a central role to play, notching three extra-base hits and driving in four runs on his way to winning NL Player of the Week. Meanwhile, Ryne Nelson had not other rough outing, and several D-backs have gone down with inj...

The Diamondbacks notched an early 4-0 lead over the San Diego Padres in Mexico City, but a brutal seventh inning ultimately led to a 6-4 loss. Was Torey Lovullo late to remove a struggling Brandon Pfaadt from the game? Was Taylor Clarke the right man for the job? Plus, we have injury updates on Geraldo Perdomo and Zac Gallen, both of whom exited the game early. We also discuss Alek Thomas hitting...

Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald gave up a three-run home run in the ninth inning as the Diamondbacks lost their series to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. Is it time for the D-backs to stop using Sewald in non-save situations? Plus, we discuss our takeaways from the series, from Merrill Kelly continuing to struggle after returning to injury to Ildemaro Vargas hitting non-stop home runs to a D-ba...

Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson recorded all of one out in his Sunday outing against the Toronto Blue Jays, allowing eight runs in a lackluster D-backs loss. Meanwhile, Brandon Pfaadt delivered 6 1/3 solid innings out of the bullpen. Is it too early to wonder if Nelson's rotation spot is in jeopardy? We also discuss Corbin Carroll leaving Sunday's game early, and our expectations for when Ga...

The Diamondbacks secured their fourth straight win on Saturday, beating the Toronto Blue Jays in large part because of a go-ahead grand slam by Corbin Carroll in the bottom of the eighth inning. We discuss Carroll's stellar start to the season amid hamate surgery. We also discuss Zac Gallen's 5 2/3 solid innings, and yet another game of zeros for an emerging Diamondbacks bullpen. Plus, outfielder...

The Diamondbacks played another dramatic, back-and-forth game on Wednesday — and once again, they came out on top. Adrian Del Castillo hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the 10th inning that put them out in front, and the bullpen was solid once again. Meanwhile, Ildemaro Vargas has assembled one of the best starts ever by a Diamondbacks hitter. Plus, we discuss Eduardo Rodriguez battling throu...

Despite leading the Orioles 7-1 midway through the sixth inning, the Diamondbacks' bullpen then allowed eight unanswered runs (one inherited from starter Ryne Nelson), ultimately leading to a 9-7 loss. Should Torey Lovullo have left Ryne Nelson in to finish the sixth inning instead of going to Taylor Rashi? We discuss Lovullo's controversial decision, and how Pete Alonso, Jeremiah Jackson and othe...

Things couldn't have started much worse for the Diamondbacks against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, but once again the offense came storming back and the bullpen locked down another comeback win.  We discuss Jose Fernandez, Ketel Marte and other key contributors in the Diamondbacks' five-run fifth inning. We also discuss Michael Soroka looking excellent the rest of his outing, and the b...

Diamondbacks lefty Eduardo Rodriguez pieced together his third consecutive stellar outing on Thursday — and this time, the offense backed him up. With four runs in the seventh and three in the eighth, the D-backs secured a series win over the New York Mets in Queens. What clicked for the D-backs in the later innings? Is the offense finally clicking? We discuss observations of Jose Fernandez,...

The Diamondbacks grabbed a 3-2 lead in the middle innings against the Mets on Tuesday, but the bats went silent late and Paul Sewald coughed up the winning run on a Ronny Mauricio RBI single in the bottom of the 10th. We discuss another lackluster showing from the offense, and whether Sewald should have issued an intentional walk to set up a double play in the 10th. We also discuss Zac Gallen batt...

Michael Soroka assembled a second straight solid outing and Jose Fernandez laid down a perfect bunt as the D-backs beat the Atlanta Braves on Saturday by a final score of 2-1. What has worked so well for Soroka in the early going? Will manager Torey Lovullo start playing Fernandez more often? We also discuss the D-backs' recent offense woes. What has gone wrong? And how will the D-backs replace re...

The Diamondbacks completed a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday behind six scoreless innings from Zac Gallen and a Corbin Carroll home run against Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. What worked so well for Gallen on Wednesday? Is the lack of swing-and-miss through two starts concerning? Is Corbin Carroll on the verge of becoming an NL MVP frontrunner? We also discuss an impressive run by th...

It was a night to remember for Diamondbacks rookie Jose Fernandez. He went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs in his major league debut, including a go-ahead, three-run shot against Kenley Jansen that led the D-backs to a thrilling comeback win over the Detroit Tigers. How did Fernandez burst on the scene so quickly? How often should we expect to see him in the lineup moving forward? We also discuss...

For the third consecutive day, an early Diamondbacks lead got away. On Saturday, Dodgers catcher Will Smith launched a go-ahead, two-run home run in the eighth inning against Juan Morillo, helping the Dodgers to a 3-2 win and a series sweep. We discuss Eduardo Rodriguez building off his stellar World Baseball Classic outing with a solid performance on the mound. We also discuss the Diamondbacks of...

What appeared to be a Zac Gallen Opening Day gem turned south in the fifth inning as Andy Pages launched a three-run homer, giving the Dodgers that they never lost. Things only got uglier from there as the Dodgers added five more runs while the Diamondbacks' bats fell silent against Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Dodgers' bullpen. What went wrong for Gallen in the fifth? Was anything different from la...

Opening Day 2026 is nearly upon us, and the Diamondbacks have made their final roster decisions. How will it work not having a lefty in the bullpen? Does Joe Ross really deserve a spot? We also make predictions for the 2026 season, including win total, team MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and Minor League Player & Pitcher of the Year. We finish by each making one bold prediction. Finally, w...

Opening Day is only a few days away, but the Diamondbacks still have several roster decisions to make, including three bullpen spots and a couple of bench spots. Who are the top candidates? And why did the team choose to option newly acquired right-hander Kade Strowd? We also dive in to the Diamondbacks' freshly announced starting rotation, with Ryne Nelson set to start the second game of the year...