The Diamondbacks are looking to become the spoiler when they open their series against the Pirates, and they have the bullpen to make that role matter. Arizona's relief corps has produced 0.3 fWAR and sits 19th, but the group has held opponents to a.263 BABIP, while the rotation has been even shakier at 0.4 fWAR and 30th with a.311 BABIP.
That imbalance matters because the Diamondbacks still have enough offense to keep pressure on. Their lineup has 3.5 fWAR, and the club was 16-14 before the Wrigleyville series, then got swept by the Cubs. They also made a roster move after Gabriel Moreno was reinstated, designating Aramis Garcia for assignment.
The Pirates arrive last in the division, a place they have occupied in every season since 2017, but the way they are scoring now looks nothing like the club that finished 28th in the league by fWAR last year and hit a league-low 117 home runs. Pittsburgh's offense is in the top 10 in MLB by fWAR and wRC+, with Brandon Lowe at a 141 OPS+, Bryan Reynolds at 136, Ryan O'Hearn at 141 and Oneil Cruz at 126. Nick Gonzales and Konnor Griffin have also been on a hot streak over the past two weeks.
That surge came with some force. The Pirates scored 27 runs in three games against the Reds over the weekend, ending a five-game losing streak during which they had managed only 18 runs. It was a needed reset after they were swept by the Dodgers and lost to every NL East opponent they faced, but even with the offense picking up, the results have not caught up.
The tension for Pittsburgh is in the same place it has been all year: the bats have improved, yet the record still sits in the division cellar and the saves column barely exists. The Pirates have five saves, almost the fewest in the league, with only the Angels listed as having fewer, and Marcell Ozuna still has not found his groove in Pittsburgh. If the Diamondbacks can turn this into a game where their bullpen decides the late innings, they may have found the cleanest route to a series that is more about disruption than standing.