Diamondbacks look to improve in second half

PHOENIX - Asked what went wrong this year, Arizona general manager Josh Byrnes thinks back to 2008.

Fresh off their surprising run to the 2007 NL West title, the Diamondbacks bolted to a 20-8 start the following April. But they stalled and watched the Los Angeles Dodgers overtake them down the stretch.

``I think we were all curious in the offseason, would that propel us forward with a bit of an edge and a determination to get this division back?'' Byrnes said in an interview in his Chase Field suite. ``But both in spring training and the early part of this season, it just seemed like we were still in a fog.''

Since that blazing start last year, the Diamondbacks are 23 games under .500. They reached this season's All-Star break 38-51, 18-1/2 games behind the Dodgers. They are on pace for just 69 victories, which would be the third-fewest in their 12-year history.

Although many of the players are the same, the team has little in common with the 2007 Diamondbacks, who found a way to win an NL-best 90 games despite being outscored by 20 runs across the season.

``There have been some signs, but we got so far away from the '07 team, which had that knack, and then we became quite the opposite,'' Byrnes said.

``I think baseball, as much as any game, the weakest link in the chain will show up. We have some guys having great years. We have some guys doing everything I've alluded to as far as their effort and commit to winning. But 25 guys need to be on board with that.''

Even a recent hot streak had a bitter end. Leading Florida 7-0 in the fifth inning last Thursday, the Diamondbacks appeared to be coasting toward their sixth straight win, then gave up 10 runs in the eighth and lost 14-7.

Arizona had never blown a bigger lead.

``It's kind of frustrating,'' All-Star pitcher Dan Haren said. ``We have the players here. We have the talent. It's just a matter of playing better. ``

Haren (9-5) made his third straight All-Star team. He leads the NL with a 2.01 ERA, ranks second with 130 innings pitched and is tied for the lead with three complete games. Haren also is averaging 8.06 strikeouts for each walk, the league's best ratio.

He has been one of the few bright spots in the desert.

In the turbulent first half of this season, the Diamondbacks replaced manager Bob Melvin with A.J. Hinch, a front-office executive with no coaching experience. The move had no discernible effect on the team's play.

Injuries have played a role. Ace Brandon Webb went down with a shoulder strain after one start, and three other opening day starters - outfielders Conor Jackson and Eric Byrnes and catcher Chris Snyder - have spent significant time on the DL.

Josh Byrnes accepted responsibility for the club's lack of depth. But he looks at the roster and sees a number of players - including right fielder Justin Upton, named to his first All-Star team - having fine seasons.

``Obviously, this season got off track, and ultimately that's my responsibility,'' Byrnes said. ``We have a lot of good things happening with our players and with our roster. But this is a time in baseball where a lot of teams are close. We just fell too far out of it and dug ourselves too big of a hole.''

Hinch planned to spend the All-Star break with his family in the Northern Arizona highlands, escaping Phoenix's triple-digit heat. But he said he's looking forward to the second half, which opens Friday night in St. Louis.

``We can re-establish ourselves as a good baseball team,'' Hinch said. ``We can do a lot of positive things. We can get back to respecting ourselves and developing being respected around the league for the team that we should be. I will never cash this season in and stop believing that better things can happen.''

Things can't get much worse in the field, where the Diamondbacks have made 80 errors, more than any team in the majors except Washington.

Arizona let Gold Glove second baseman Orlando Hudson leave for Los Angeles, where he made the All-Star team, and replaced him with Felipe Lopez, who is hitting .302 but is an indifferent fielder at best.

The Diamondbacks are hitting .247 as a team, tied for 14th in the NL. The starting pitching has been solid, but the bullpen has been unreliable.

The question isn't whether the Diamondbacks can make a late run to the postseason. It's what they'll look like next season.

Byrnes said he remains committed to the core group of players such as Upton, Stephen Drew and Mark Reynolds. But there's speculation the Diamondbacks will unload veteran pitchers Doug Davis and Jon Garland, and Lopez also has been mentioned as a trade candidate.

``I think we're always on the phone, but any deal we're going to make I think has to make a lot of sense building our roster for next year and beyond,'' Byrnes said.