LOS ANGELES — When the weekend began, the Diamondbacks did not look like a team ready to break out against perhaps the best team in baseball. Their offense had been quiet and their pitching inconsistent, and they felt like a team likely to stumble first into the All-Star break and then into the trade deadline.
Instead, after completing a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 5-3 victory on Sunday, the Diamondbacks have reversed the vibes around their club, creating some tangible reason for hope heading into the second half.
“It happened because we played good baseball,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “We did the things we’re supposed to do, that we’re capable of doing, and that’s what I told them. I got them together to talk about what this series meant to this team and I have every reason to believe we can continue doing this in the second half.”
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Just last week, the Diamondbacks had fallen to two games under .500 and were trending toward being sellers at the deadline. Suddenly, they have won four in a row and will head into the break 2½ games back of the third and final wild-card spot in the National League. They are 49-47.
“You try to stay even keel, but a four-game win streak, especially against division rivals and a team that we struggle against normally, is always bigger,” closer Paul Sewald said. “You can’t lie about it. And every game matters a lot before August 3 (trade deadline). We’re excited. A four-game win streak is fantastic.”
It is hard to overstate how unexpected this was. The Dodgers entered the weekend with the best record in baseball and had yet to be swept in a series this season. The D-backs entered with the fewest wins in the majors against teams with a record of .500 or better.
But Arizona played well, getting timely hitting and strong pitching. Of course, the Dodgers helped facilitate the outcome by virtue of their uneven play.
As the Diamondbacks scored four times in the middle innings on Sunday, they were helped along first by a dropped fly ball in center field by Andy Pages in the fifth, then by a bad throw to the plate by third baseman Max Muncy in the sixth. It followed a pattern established earlier in the series of the Dodgers making mistakes and the Diamondbacks capitalizing on them.
There was also the performance from the Diamondbacks’ bullpen. Lefty Mitch Bratt, making his second career start, was erratic across his three innings, giving up three runs and issuing three walks, but six relievers combined to cover the final six innings, holding the Dodgers scoreless — and hitless — in the process.
Sewald retired the side in order in the ninth, punctuating his game-ending strikeout of Teoscar Hernandez with a roar that could be heard throughout a hushed Dodger Stadium, where the Diamondbacks had not recorded a sweep since 2017.
It was the latest strong performance from a bullpen that has been a clear bright spot for the D-backs in the first half.
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Paul Sewald (38) reacts after striking out Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernández (not pictured) during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium on July 12, 2026.
“This bullpen has been dominant,” Sewald said. “This was an exclamation point on an incredible first half. I think everybody’s having as close to a career year as they can and it’s great to see it end like that. That was just fantastic.”
Another reason the sweep came out of nowhere: For the third game in a row, the Diamondbacks’ offense largely was provided by the bottom of the order. Following another hitless day from Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll, the Diamondbacks’ trio finished the series a combined 2 for 36.
The heavy lifting came this time from Ildemaro Vargas, who had two hits, including the go-ahead single; Nolan Arenado, who drove in Arizona's first run with an RBI double; and Tim Tawa, who homered for the second time in three games as he continued to put a stranglehold on first base.
Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ildemaro Vargas (6) hits an RBI single during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on July 12, 2026.
“If you were to tell me,” Lovullo said, “we were going to have the success that we had in this series, minus Marte and Carroll, who are grinding right now, I would have really thought twice about that conversation.”
Outfielder Tommy Troy, who hurt his right shoulder after he slammed into the center field wall while making a catch on Saturday, was to undergo an MRI on Monday, Lovullo said.
Coming up
The All-Star break runs through Thursday. After that, here's what's on deck:
– Friday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks TBA vs. Cardinals TBA
– Saturday: At Chase Field, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks TBA vs. Cardinals TBA
– Sunday: At Chase Field, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks TBA vs. Cardinals TBA
