Takeaways from an ugly start to 2026.
The Arizona Diamondbacks were swept out of Dodger Stadium in extremely ugly fashion to begin the 2026 season. It was not the note on which Arizona hoped to begin their 162-game campaign. In the grand scheme of a regular season, three games is nothing to dwell too heavily on.
But there were some aspects of the unfortunate sweep that could be learned from — and some that raised even further questions about the viability of this team.Mar 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Geraldo Perdomo reacts after hitting a 398 foot two run home run to right field against Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto during the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Imagesposting another seven-WAR season when 2026 is all said and done, but Perdomo is not showing signs of taking a significant step back right away. The star shortstop went 4-for-12 at the plate with a double and a two-run homer, with just two strikeouts in three games. His patented ability to work counts hasn't disappeared, and his defense even looked a little sharper.2: Diamondbacks' defensive upgrades are real Mar 28, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Nolan Arenado throws to first for an out during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesNolan Arenado has looked every part of the six-time Platinum Glove winner at the hot corner, and Carlos Santana — despite being charged with an error on Saturday night — is a more competent first base defender.That won't necessarily help when balls are leaving the yard, but it's a step in the right direction for an area that was surprisingly deficient in 2025.1: Just how much of a pitching problem do D-backs have? Jul 12, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Juan Morillo sits in the dugout after he was pulled in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Arizona's pitching staff had an extremely uneven performance against a team that is difficult to make assessments with. The Dodgers lineup can batter even the top staffs in baseball. Zac Gallen looked like a renewed pitcher, until one mistake bit him. Ryne Nelson looked dominant, until the same thing happened. Eduardo Rodriguez shut L.A. down entirely for five innings. And surprisingly enough, the D-backs' bullpen has not been as poor as one might think. Outside of the blowup inning by Taylor Clarke in game one, the D-backs relief corps gave up three runs in 10 innings — certainly not a terrible result against an All-Star-filled lineup. But they also coughed up leads in back-to-back games. The overall output may not have been as bad as it could have, but the timing was as bad as possible. The question will be how this under-constructed unit can perform against less-proficient offenses.Mar 27, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Alek Thomas hits an RBI double against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images There is nothing wrong with Marte, Carroll and Perdomo. Even Gabriel Moreno looked solid enough at the plate. But the D-backs offense ran into a black hole just below the top four. Arenado and Santana are both off to rough starts, coming off rough seasons. Both have just one hit, with a good deal of chase, swing-and-miss and weak contact. That comes with the territory of emphasizing defense sometimes. It can be a trade-off. But Arizona can't put the entire offensive burden on their star trio.and Jordan Lawlar look like they could be bottom-order contributors. Thomas has two doubles so far, and crushed two 100 MPH batted balls that went for outs in game three.But Arizona isn't going to be able to win games scoring only from the top of their order. They need some of their defensive veterans to get on the board.Born and raised in the desert, Alex D'Agostino is a lifelong follower of Arizona sports. Alex writes for Arizona Diamondbacks ON SI and also Arizona Cardinals ON SI. He previously covered the Diamondbacks for FanSided's VenomStrikes. Follow Alex on Twitter @AlexDagAZ
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