The Arizona Diamondbacks can’t seem to catch a break — and on Friday night, José Herrera quite literally took one to the shoulder. In the second inning of Arizona’s 5-1 loss to the Oaklamento Athletics at Sutter Health Park, A’s catcher Shea Langeliers shattered his bat on a swing, sending a large piece flying directly into Herrera.
Doubles are not usually this painful for the catcher pic.twitter.com/QZEj6LAWoj
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 2, 2025
The broken barrel struck the Diamondbacks catcher on the shoulder, but he stayed down only briefly before popping up, signaling he was okay, and remaining in the game. Unfortunately for Arizona, that grit didn’t translate into a turnaround on the field. The Diamondbacks have now dropped six straight and nine of their last 10, falling to 51-59 on the season — eight games under .500 and spiraling fast.
Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani, making his first start since replacing traded ace Merrill Kelly, got shelled early. He gave up four runs in the first inning alone and was pulled after just 2 1/3 innings of work. Langeliers did the early damage with a two-run blast to left field — his 19th homer of the season — and the A’s never looked back.
“He’s just got to find a rhythm out there,” manager Torey Lovullo said postgame. “DeSclafani’s been in this league a long time, and we trust him. But tonight, it got away from him quick.”
The Diamondbacks are struggling to win post-trade deadline
The Diamondbacks offense, meanwhile, continues to look lifeless. Arizona managed eight hits and four walks but went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Their lone run came in the seventh, when Corbin Carroll hit a sacrifice fly to score Herrera after he singled and advanced to third on Ketel Marte’s ground-rule double.
Arizona has scored just seven runs in its last seven games.
First baseman Tyler Locklear — the key piece acquired in the Eugenio Suárez deal with Seattle — made his D-backs debut, going 0-for-3 with a walk and a pair of strikeouts. Fellow deadline additions Brandyn Garcia and Tristin English were optioned to Triple-A Reno prior to Friday’s game, while lefty Kyle Nelson and shortstop Connor Kaiser were promoted. Veteran reliever Jalen Beeks also rejoined the team from the injured list.
General manager Mike Hazen addressed the team following the trade deadline, acknowledging the pain of losing key clubhouse leaders like Kelly and Suárez. But he emphasized the importance of maintaining the team’s standards down the stretch.
“The standard of baseball that we expect from being a Diamondback player is not going to change,” Hazen told reporters. “We’re still going to go out and play Diamondback baseball… even if the roster looks a little different.”
For now, though, it’s tough to tell where that standard has gone. Arizona’s offense is ice cold, the pitching staff is struggling to find consistency, and the clubhouse — shaken by deadline moves — is searching for answers.
And yet, in the middle of it all, José Herrera took a bat to the shoulder and refused to leave the field. If there’s a silver lining to be found in another tough night for the D-backs, it’s that.
