You might want to introduce yourself to those around you. More than likely, you and many of your fellow passengers only recently climbed aboard the Diamondbacks’ bandwagon.
With the club returning home following a perfect 5-0 road trip, it seems like a good time to try to recap how it got here. That is, how the Diamondbacks became the hottest team in baseball over the past month, a stretch they have ridden to the top of the National League West.
In a sense, their 20-7 run since May 12 is not that complicated: They have one incredible player (outfielder Corbin Carroll) who is locked in at the plate, plus a handful of other good players chipping in and contributing to the cause.
There is, of course, a little more to it than that. Let’s dive in.
Corbin Carroll is out-of-his-mind good
There has been a sense around the Diamondbacks for a while now that Carroll might be the sort of player whose arrival will immediately turn his team into a contender. The fact that the Diamondbacks gave him $111 million before he had even played a quarter of a major league season gave an indication they thought he might be, too.
So far, that is exactly what he has been. Every time his spot in the order comes up, the Diamondbacks have a chance to score. As everyone knew, his speed puts him in scoring position every time he reaches base. What has also become evident is that with his stunning power, he also is in scoring position every time he steps into the batter’s box.
Over the past 27 games, Carroll has hit .324/.417/.657. To get a sense of how instrumental he has been in the Diamondbacks’ success over that stretch, consider what he has done in their losses, going just 5 for 25 (.200) in those seven games.
That’s not to say the Diamondbacks haven’t won games in which he hasn’t produced — they have on a few occasions — but it could be something to watch if Carroll ever cools off. Emphasis there on if. He is 94 games into his big-league career and seems to be getting better with every passing day.
Others are producing at just the right times
Outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., first baseman Christian Walker and second baseman Ketel Marte are having nice seasons at the plate and third baseman Emmanuel Rivera has been terrific since coming up from Triple-A Reno in late April.
But what is also worth noting about their offense is that even their less productive players have been coming up big to help secure wins.
Right fielder Pavin Smith is hitting under .200 over the past month, but he delivered a two-run home run in Sunday’s win in Detroit. Same with shortstop Nick Ahmed, who hit a big home run in Saturday’s win against the Tigers.
Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo has seen his production decline after a strong start, but he continues to deliver run-scoring hits, including three of them over the weekend. Third baseman Evan Longoria has not been playing much but has homered in three of his past seven starts and keeps finding himself in the middle of big innings.
This sort of thing — production up and down the roster — is a hallmark of a successful team.
The rotation has been solid
Perhaps the strangest part of this month-long streak is that the Diamondbacks are just 3-3 in right-hander Zac Gallen’s six starts, with two rare clunkers from him included.
In the past 27 games, the rotation hasn’t been amazing, but it hasn’t been bad, either, logging a 3.93 ERA in that span. Still, that mark has been much better than the 4.87 ERA the group had in the first 38 games of the season, and it has been pitching a little deeper into games, as well.
Right-hander Merrill Kelly has been his usual self, lefty Tommy Henry has emerged as a fairly dependable starter, right-hander Zach Davies has returned to health and right-hander Ryne Nelson has taken some steps in the right direction.
No one would say Gallen has been bad over the past month — he has a 4.15 ERA in six starts — but, incredibly, the Diamondbacks have managed to go on a hot streak despite him not being at his best.
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They do not beat themselves
There is no denying that the Diamondbacks have a defense capable of making terrific plays. Two particularly good ones in center field stand out in recent weeks: There was the diving catch Carroll made against Atlanta on the previous home stand, and the over-the-shoulder grab Jake McCarthy turned in against the Tigers on Friday.
But perhaps the most important attribute of their defense is what the Diamondbacks do not do. They rarely shoot themselves in the foot. This stands out, perhaps, because it is something opposing teams do on a regular basis when playing the Diamondbacks.
The Tigers, for example, beat themselves in the ninth inning on Sunday, when left fielder Kerry Carpenter bobbled a base hit, allowing the go-ahead run to score.
Of course, the Diamondbacks are a speedy, contact-oriented team, so perhaps opponents should be cut some slack for the occasional mistake. Still, the Diamondbacks seem to make more plays than their opponents — and that consistency bears fruit in the win column.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Are the Arizona Diamondbacks the hottest team in baseball?