Eugenio Suarez details his thoughts on the MLB All-Star Game
2025 Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suarez details what he thinks of the current and past All-Star games.
- The Diamondbacks lost to the Angels 10-5, falling to 46-50 on the season and 6 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot.
- The Diamondbacks’ recent struggles increase the likelihood that they will be sellers at the trade deadline.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Diamondbacks were hoping not just for a series victory but for a sweep when they opened the weekend here at Angel Stadium. But after their second loss in as many days, they won’t have either. They instead continued to drain uncertainty from the club’s upcoming trade deadline decision.
Eugenio Suarez blasted two homers, but the Los Angeles Angels battered right-hander Zac Gallen and cruised to a 10-5 win on Saturday night, July 12. With the loss, the Diamondbacks fell to four games under .500 at 46-50 with one game remaining before the All-Star break.
The Diamondbacks lost a little more ground in the wild-card race. They are now 6 1/2 games out of the third and final wild-card spot with four teams ahead of them.
For most of the past month, the club’s direction at the deadline has been hard to determine, but barring a shocking run over the next couple of weeks, the Diamondbacks seem likely to be left with little choice but to sell ahead of July 31.
Manager Torey Lovullo admitted to feeling like the club’s chances at contention are slipping away. He said he didn’t know which way general manager Mike Hazen was leaning, but he knows the club’s 5-12 record over the past 17 games isn’t helping.
“I want to make it easy for him and we’re not,” Lovullo said. “That’s where the frustration builds.”
For Suarez, it was the latest impressive power display for a player who was snubbed earlier in the week for a chance to participate in the upcoming Home Run Derby in Atlanta.
With the two homers, he reached the 30-homer plateau for the sixth time in his career, becoming just the second player in franchise history to do so prior to the All-Star break. Luis Gonzalez also accomplished the feat in 2001. With 31 homers, Suarez has one more than he hit last season.
Gallen was unable to maintain momentum from his previous two starts. The Angels scored six times off him in five innings while racking up eight hits, four for extra bases, including a two-run homer by Mike Trout.
Gallen acknowledged the reality the Diamondbacks are facing ahead of the deadline, particularly with his name swirling as a possible trade candidate.
“When we’re in the spot we’re in,” Gallen said, “the sharks start circling, just like any team.”
He added: “I’m focused on just executing pitches for the DBacks at this point in time. If it happens, it happens. But hopefully we play a little bit better baseball and that’s not the case in the next 2 1/2 weeks.”
The Diamondbacks briefly led, 2-1, in the top of the fourth before the Angels moved in front for good by scoring three times in the bottom of the inning and adding two more in the fifth.
The Diamondbacks trimmed the lead to 6-5 in the eighth, but the Angels answered with four runs in the bottom half.
Perdomo dropped to No. 9
For the first time in more than a month, the Diamondbacks had shortstop Geraldo Perdomo hitting in his once-customary No. 9 spot in the batting order.
Manager Torey Lovullo said he wanted to keep Perdomo, Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll stacked in a row, but preferred for Saturday, July 12, to have them stacked in the 9-1-2 spots in the lineup.
For multiple years, Perdomo had been a steady presence at the bottom of the order, but in early June, Lovullo began moving Perdomo into one of the top three spots in the lineup.
Perdomo has performed well no matter where he has hit, except when he hits third.
Perdomo has a .899 OPS in 17 games leading off, .805 in 34 games in the No. 2 spot and .923 when hitting ninth. He has just a .653 OPS in the No. 3 spot.
Coming up
Sunday, July 13: At Los Angeles, 1:07 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (7-5, 3.41) vs. Angels RHP Jose Soriano (6-6, 4.00).
Monday-Thursday, July 14-17: Off (All-Star break).
Friday, July 18: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks TBA vs. Cardinals TBA.
Saturday, July 19: At Chase Field, 4:15 p.m., Diamondbacks TBA vs. Cardinals TBA.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)