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The second half of the 2026 season is now under way, the D-backs having played their first two games after the break at Chase Field against the Cardinals. But if this week’s poll results are anything to go by, we should likely be hoping that the rest of the season is more successful than the first. It has certainly been a very mid team. While slightly surpassing preseason expectations from the sports books, the current projected tally of 83 wins is almost in line with the average prediction of 84 wins, from the SnakePit writers back in March. There have been ups and downs, certainly, and it’s fair to say that the wins haven’t all come from the expected places.
For example, who had Eduardo Rodriguez and Michael Soroka as the two best starting pitchers? Previous form would not exactly have suggested that. But here we are, with E-Rod coming off an All-Star appearance – and one where he pitched better than the NL starter. On the other hand, there are players who haven’t been as good as expected. Ketel Marte has underperformed his usual high standards, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has been a disaster, and I’m sure we don’t need to rehash the first-half autopsy report in regard to first base, designated hitter and center field. But in the final analysis, what did we think of the first half? Well, the SnakePit has spoken with (almost) one voice…
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Yeah, it’s kinda hard to argue with that conclusion. It hasn’t been a disaster, certainly. Second place in the NL West is nothing to be ashamed of, with the Diamondbacks ahead of both the Padres and Giants, despite both sides outspending Arizona by some margin. The team is still in the hunt for a wild-card spot, and it’s worth noting that theie remaining schedule is more favorable than the five teams currently ahead of them in that race. On the other hand, they’ve been outscored by the opposition, which suggests they are “lucky” to be above .500 at the break. If that’d change going forward, it would be helpful and much appreciated.
From the SnakePit point of view, “Meh” is very much the worst outcome, in terms of fan engagement. If this were the Mets, there would be an endless stream of articles to be written on how things can be fixed, who should be fired, etc. If this were the Dodgers, while the “race” for the division has all the dramatic tension of a state funeral procession, there would be a lot to celebrate, the bandwagon continuing to increase in size as we head towards the inevitable post-season. But this? There’s only so many times I can rehash the mediocrity of first-base, or remind people not to take statistics from Reno at face value.
Obviously, I’d prefer a 2023-style second half. Though that boat may already have sailed. I keep forgetting that D-backs team went into the break tied for the lead in the division, having been ahead by as many as four games in mid-June. Now, despite the very pleasant sweep of the Dodgers before the break, they still sit 11.5 games ahead of us – no other division leader is up by more than five games. It’s all going to be about the wild-card race for the next two and a half months, and hopefully the 2026 Arizona squad will be in that conversation until the final pitch of the regular season, on Sunday September 27th in San Diego.
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