The Diamondbacks weren’t expected to be this good at the beginning of the season. They raised a lot of eyebrows and attracted the eyes of viewers around the league. Who would have thought they would have four representatives (Zac Gallen, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Geraldo Perdomo, and Corbin Carroll) in Seattle for the All-Star Game? Yet they didn’t end their first half as strong as they would have liked.

With the loss on Sunday to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Diamondbacks are now one game behind the surging Dodgers in the loss column (though they’re up one in the loss column), officially falling out of first place after about 2 months of reign over the NL West. 

Hits were at a premium on both sides, six for the Pirates and four for the D-Backs. However, the clutch hit in such a close game was non-existent, with the team going 0-for in eight chances with runners in scoring position, while the Pirates capitalized in even fewer chances, going one-for-two as a team.

The bright spot for the D-Backs on offense was outfielder Alek Thomas, who went two-for-three with a home run and a single. When he led off the eighth inning with a single, it set up a golden opportunity for the top of the order, but in the end, his teammates failed to bring him home.

On the other hand, Ji-Man Choi led the way for the Pirates. He crushed a two-run homer early in the game and finished the day two-for-four, adding a double to his stat line late in the game, during the ninth inning.

The bullpen game for the Pirates worked to plan, utilizing seven pitchers in all; none of them pitching over one and two-thirds. The headliners in that department were Carmen Mlodzinski, Osvaldo Bido, and All-Star David Bednar. Mlodzinski served as the opener in his first career start, allowing no hits, two walks, and getting a strikeout in one and a third innings. Bido only gave up a hit in one and a third, earning his first win in the Majors. Then, in the ninth, Bednar promptly shut the door after a leadoff walk to Christian Walker, picking up his 17th save of the season.

Though they won the series in front of the home crowd at Chase Field to head into the break, the Diamondbacks have a challenge when they regroup from the All-Star Break on Friday. They will begin the second half of the season on the road against a tough opponent in the form of the Toronto Blue Jays, who similar to the Diamondbacks have a solid, consistent mix of veterans and young talent.