PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks are shaking up their coaching staff after falling just short of the playoffs.
The team confirmed Thursday that pitching coach Brent Strom, assistant pitching coach Dan Carlson and bullpen coach Mike Fetters will not return in those roles next year.
Arizona endured numerous injuries to its pitching staff, including stints on the injured list by Eduardo Rodriguez, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Jordan Montgomery and one-time closer Paul Sewald. Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick also told Arizona Sports he was to blame for the high-priced signing of Montgomery, who underperformed and was sent to the bullpen.
The Diamondbacks had baseball's highest-scoring offense at 5.47 runs per game, but one of the worst pitching staffs with an ERA of 4.62.
The reigning NL champion Diamondbacks finished tied with Atlanta and the New York Mets at 89-73, but missed the playoffs on tiebreakers.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
