Arizona put a beatdown on Texas, riding a monster night from Nolan Arenado to a 9-1 victory that leaves the Rangers searching for answers early in the season.
This one wasn't close from the jump. Arizona's lineup hit on all cylinders while Merrill Kelly did just enough on the mound to keep the Rangers from ever building any momentum.
Arenado was the story. The 35-year-old third baseman turned in a 37.0 fantasy-point performance, the best of any player in the game, and it wasn't particularly close. He was the straw that stirred the drink in a lineup that never let up on Jordan Montgomery and the Texas bullpen. Ketel Marte backed him up in a big way, posting 33.5 fantasy points and continuing to look like the table-setter Arizona needs him to be at the top of the order. When your two-hole and three-hole hitters combine for over 70 fantasy points, the math for the opposing pitching staff gets ugly fast.
Corbin Carroll made it a trio of standout bats, chipping in 30.0 fantasy points. The 26-year-old outfielder has been a problem for opposing pitching all week, and Texas got no reprieve. Behind those three, catcher Gabriel Moreno added 20.5 fantasy points and Ildemaro Vargas chipped in 19.5 at first base, giving Arizona production from top to bottom. This wasn't a two-man show. It was a full lineup taking turns.
On the mound, Kelly did his job. The 37-year-old right-hander turned in an 18.3 fantasy-point outing, steady if not overwhelming, and with a 9-1 cushion, he didn't need to be spectacular. Justin Martinez closed things out of the bullpen with 14.5 fantasy points, slamming the door before Texas could make any late noise. Rookie center fielder Ryan Waldschmidt rounded out Arizona's productive night with 12.5 fantasy points.
For Texas, there wasn't much to hang onto. Joc Pederson was the lone bright spot, posting 15.0 fantasy points at DH, but one good line in a lineup that otherwise went quiet isn't going to cut it against this version of Arizona. Montgomery took the loss after a rough outing worth 11.5 fantasy points, unable to find any rhythm against a Diamondbacks lineup that had his number all night. Danny Jansen added 8.0 fantasy points behind the plate, and Jake Burger and Brandon Nimmo each finished with 5.5, but the offense as a whole managed just a single run. Against a team peaking at exactly the wrong time for Texas, that was never going to be enough.
The bigger concern for Texas is how thoroughly outmatched they looked. The lineup went silent against Kelly and the bullpen, while the rotation had no answer for Arizona's top of the order, particularly Montgomery, who couldn't slow down Arenado and company.
Arizona, meanwhile, looks like a team hitting its stride. The win pushes their recent form to four victories in their last five, with the only blemish a narrow loss to Kansas City sandwiched between statement wins. Arenado, Marte and Carroll form as dangerous a top three as anyone will see in the league this season, and if Kelly and the rotation can keep giving the offense a clean canvas to work with, this is a club that could be tough to deal with for a long stretch of the year.
For Texas, the message is simpler and less comfortable: fix it now, before more of the schedule gets away from them. A day like this, with the bats gone silent and the pitching unable to slow down a lineup clicking on every level, is the kind of loss that can snowball if it isn't addressed quickly.
For fans building lineups on JockBroker this week, Arenado's 37.0-point outing is a reminder that the Arizona lineup is worth paying attention to top to bottom.
