The D-backs aim to snap a 5-game skid against the A's on Aug 1, 2025. With injuries to Walston & Montes De Oca, can Arizona find a much-needed win?
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Another day, another chance to end the slide. The Arizona Diamondbacks rolled into West Sacramento on Friday carrying the weight of a five-game losing streak, desperately seeking a spark against the Oakland Athletics. With the team sitting at 51-58 and fourth in the NL West, the start of a new month represents a critical turning point. Can they stop the bleeding, or will the struggles of July spill over into August?
Five consecutive losses. A team ERA of 4.60, ranking 25th in MLB. The numbers paint a grim picture for the D-backs.
On paper, the matchup against the 48-63 Athletics seems like the perfect opportunity to get right. The two teams are surprisingly evenly matched offensively, with the A's holding a slight edge in batting average (.250 to .248) and home runs (151 to 149). The real disparity lies in the pitching, where the D-backs' 4.60 ERA is still significantly better than Oakland's 5.03 mark. For a team starved for a victory, this feels like a must-win game to build momentum.
You can't talk about the Diamondbacks' recent performance without looking at the training room. The pitching staff has been decimated by injuries, a problem that has defined their season. The team is navigating the rest of 2025 without key arms like Blake Walston and Christian Montes De Oca. The biggest blow, of course, was losing ace Corbin Burnes to Tommy John surgery, sidelining him until late 2026 at the earliest. With Cristian Mena's return from a shoulder strain still up in the air, the current pitchers are being asked to carry a heavy load with little backup.
For fans hoping for a roster shakeup to inject new life into the team, August 1st brought only silence. The front office reported no transactions, meaning the club is standing pat for now. The last significant move was Ketel Marte's return from the restricted list way back on July 20. The message is clear: the players currently in the clubhouse are the ones who will have to pull this team out of its nosedive. The pressure is on the existing roster to find a way to win.
As the team awaited the final score from Sutter Health Park, the path forward remained both simple and incredibly difficult: win. This series against the Athletics isn't just about three games in the standings; it's about restoring confidence and proving this team can compete with the roster it has. The bats need to support a beleaguered pitching staff, and the team needs to find the clutch gene that seems to have vanished. The hope of August rests on their ability to finally snap this streak and start fresh.
