Astronauts avoid sweeping in Seattle, continuing their American West swing by visiting the Rattlesnakes. If nothing else, Houston could guarantee leaving Arizona still leads the West.
Rattlesnake seasons so far: By 2025, the Diamondbacks have firmed their desire for the playoffs. The Diamondbacks won NL Tennant in 2023 and became a loser in the triple threat decisive game, and despite winning more games than they did in 2023, he used the offseason of 2024-25 to join the competitive NL West. The biggest move: signing former winemaker and O's Ace Corbin Burnes to reach a 6-year/$210 million deal and trade Cleveland 1B Josh Naylor. Aside from a mix of young native talent and productive veterans (even losing Walker), the Rattlers saw themselves in the 2025 game. Unfortunately, after a strong start, the team found themselves outside looking for 2025 playoff ambitions. The injury hit the team and the game was inconsistent. Are they selling effectively this season, or can they get into trouble in the savage NL West? They should be an interesting team to watch from this aspect.
Rattlesnake points:
- 50-50 (4th NL West) 8.0 GB, 4.5 GB final NL wildcard
- House Record: 25-25 (Astros: 24-23 Road Record)
- Records with Al West: 17-11 (Astros vs NL West: 15-11)
- Last 10:5-5 [WLWLLLWWWW] (Hou: 3-7 [WLLLLWLLLW])
- 2025 Records with Houston: First and Plans Meeting Only
- History and Houston: 69-80
- Playoff showdown: N/A.
Rattlesnake leader
offense:
HR: 3B Eugenio Suarez (35)
RBI: 3B Eugenio Suarez (85)
BA: 1B Josh Naylor (.292)
Operation: 3B Eugenio Suarez (.928)
Toss:
era: Merrill Lynch Kelly (3.34)
Win: Brandon PFAADT (10)
save: Shelby Miller (10)
whip: Merrill Lynch Kelly (1.05)
Expected pitching duel (if changed)
- Monday, July 21 @ 7:40 PM CDT: Colton Gordon (3-2, 4.67 ERA) vs. Zac Gallen (7-10, 5.40 ERA)
- Tuesday, July 22 @ 7:40 PM CDT: Framber Valdez (10-4, 2.90 ERA) with Eduardo Rodriguez (3-6, 5.94 ERA)
- Wednesday, July 23 @ 1:40 pm CDT: Brandon Walter (1-3, 3.66 ERA) and Brandon Pfaadt (10-6, 4.82 ERA)
Rattlesnake Live Position Starter (if changed)
- C Jose Herrera
- 1B Josh Naylor
- 2B Ketel Marte
- 3B Eugenio Suarez
- SS Geraldo Perdomo
- LF Lourdes Gurriel
- CF Alek Thomas
- RF Corbin Carroll
- DH Randal Grichuk
Rattlesnakes' attack: The strength of the team. Under 1B Josh Naylor and 3B Eugenio Suarez, they ranked fourth in Run scores, fifth in OBP and fourth in Slugging. They are ranked 12th in the BA, so they may not get all hits, but they get a lot of hits and do tend to count. They led the league with running scores last season, so this trend is taking shape. Arizona has been known for its aggressive foundations to run over the past two seasons, so Houston poached their third base coach, Tony Perezchica, in the past offseason. While the Rattlesnakes are known for running on an aggressive basis, they are only ranked 16th in the stolen bases.
Rattlesnake pitch/defense: Inconsistency/invalidity and damage occupy this side of the ball. They are in the lower third of ERA (26th), WHIP (23rd) and BAA (24th). Even in late June/late July, rotations show signs of life, so the numbers may improve, at least for those players who are not shuttled on and on IL. The bullpen won the blow, especially when key figures outside of key reliefers like Puk, forcing the Rattlesnake to use the releaser with high leverage, which didn't take into account the original plan. So they will carry the 26th bullpen in the ERA and explode the most savings. Their game has been one of the best in Major League Baseball over the past two seasons, a key reason Houston poached one of their infield coaches. It is still tied for third in the field percentage in MLB.
Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images
The most dangerous players: 3B Eugenio Suarez. On a team with a lot of offensive weapons, you can also take a look at people with some of the best overall statistics. Suarez leads the Rattlesnakes in many offensive categories. For a team whose offense is strength, he is probably the most dangerous weapon. His career statistics against Houston: .245 BA, 7 hours, 24 RBIs in 44 games. Plus, he has played the thermal core of the series in the last 5 games, playing 6 hours and 10 RBIs on the plate. Given that Houston is growing in more AAAA squads, it may not be many games that will be out of reach. Suarez is that type of player. Whether he is helping Arizona’s 2025 chance or auditioning for another team, that’s another matter.
Injuried: If there is a team that doesn’t want to hear all the Astronauts hurt, it’s the Arizona Rattlers. Consider the following Butcher Act:
- P Corbin Burnes (forearm), 60 days IL. Estimated return: end of 2026
- P Jalen Beeks (Back), 15-day IL, expected return: late July
- P Shelby Miller (forearm), 15 days IL, expected to return: late July
- 1B Pavin Smith (slant), 10 days IL, expected to return: TBD
- C Gabriel Moreno (hand), 60 days IL, expected to return: late August
- P Ryan Thompson (Back), 15 days IL, expected to return: TBD
- P Tommy Henry (forearm), 60 days IL, expected to return: end of 2026
- P Justin Martinez (Forearm), 60-IL, Estimated Return: 2027
- 2B Ildemaro Vargas (foot), 10 days IL, expected to return: TBD
- P AJ Puk (elbow), 60-day IL, estimated return: end of 2026
- P Christian Montes de oca (elbow/back), 60 days IL, expected to return: end of 2026
- P Cristian Mena (shoulder), 60 days IL, expected to return: TBD
- P JORDAN MONTGOMERY (Forearm), 60-IL, expected to return: 2026
- P Blake Wilson (Forearm), 60-IL, Estimated Return: 2026
Intangible assets/atmosphere: For teams with legal playoff ambitions, the summer of 2025 was underperformed. They stumbled upon the All-Star Game and won only four of the last 12 games. While NL West overall has been slightly lowered from the start of Torrid, even with the Rockies to help win the total, it's not a much-lagged division. Questions about whether the team will trade major stars cannot fully help the morale of the clubhouse. Additionally, all injuries must be worn on a team, trying to incorporate replacement players into a team desperate to stay in the playoff hunt. While the Rattlesnakes may want to review Med employees after this season (tip, tip Astros), jobs that manage and GMO work are at risk. Of course, they have been unbeaten since the All-Star Game, so it remains to be seen with the front desk. Changing all sales plans for trade deadlines can take a long time.
Series Outlook: For the Rattlers, the first breaks after these seasons will play a big role in determining the team's strategic direction. A large piece of cardinals could provide some hope for the second half push. The management of the Rattlesnakes has not reached out publicly, but if their All-Star break falls to a series before the trade deadline, the Rattlesnakes' front desk phone will be short-circuited due to call volume. Arizona has talent. For the live Rattlers, the series against the Astros can be considered the last game of the 2025 season. What Houston needs after his battle with the Mariners: a desperate, dangerous and talented Diamondbacks with some motivation. A classic showdown of good pitching in theory and good hits in theory should wait for the fan base.
polling
How many wins did Houston win in Arizona?
-
12%
3 (Arizona fire sales have begun.)
(8 votes)
-
61%
2 (Arizona picks up the phone on the first ring)
(38 votes)
-
20%
1 (Arizona did not answer calls within the first and third rings)
(13 votes)
-
4%
0 (Arizona blocks all inbound calls from other GMS)
(3 votes)
A total of 62 votes
Vote now