2004 Season
Mood:  irritated
The Arizona Diamondbacks started the season with a shot at making the playoffs if not going further. As of August 7, the Diamondbacks are the worst team in their division and in the major leagues. Why have the fallen? Lets take a look.

Richie Sexson - When Sexson was traded to the Diamondbacks in a 6-player deal, the Diamondbacks had high hopes that this slugger would add some power to the lineup. Although he started hitting in the low .200's he was hitting homeruns like crazy. Then the bad news came. Sexson injured his shoulder while pulling back on a check swing. He sat out a couple weeks, and upon returning, reinjured his shoulder and would need season-ending surgery to repair it.

Pitching Rotation - This season, the Diamondbacks appeared to have a great rotation. Johnson pitched a perfect game in mid-May and the D-Backs thought the season would turn around. He is 11-9. Brandon Webb, however, is an upsetting 3-14 this season after coming off of a great rookie season last year. Behind these two, there are struggling veterans and unwelcome rookies.

Bullpen - Many times this season, the bullpen has thrown away close games. Because of our rotation, we have had to go to the bullpen sooner and more often than we would hope to.

Injuries - Richie Sexson's injury is probably the most important, but the Diamondbacks have dealt with them all season. Robbie Alomar sat out a while, Luis Gonzalez just went through Tommy John surgery and is out for the year, Matt Kata was injured earlier as well. These injuries have led to the use of a lot of inexperience. We have had to call up many rookies out of the minors who have not performed well at all.