La Russa: D-Backs' problem is not Chip Hale

On Tuesday, having watched the Diamondbacks drop four of their previous five games, one Arizona sports columnist opined that another bad month "might make things very uncomfortable" for manager Chip Hale, whose club is now mired in fourth place in the National League West at 12-17.

Tony La Russa, the club's chief baseball officer, doesn't see it that way.

"There's no sense to that -€“ none," La Russa told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. "I have a lot of respect for (Arizona Republic columnist) Dan (Bickley). I don't know how he figured that. Maybe it's because of the expectations.

"But if you backed up five days, we're at .500, a (half-game) out of first place. We had a difficult three against Colorado. We've lost two in Miami. You take a snapshot when you take it. But no, the issue is not Chip Hale."

Though Hale - now in his second season as Arizona's manager - may be a convenient scapegoat, the Diamondbacks' most obvious problems are on the pitcher's mound. Through the first four weeks of the 2016 campaign, despite adding both Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller this offseason, the Diamondbacks rank among the bottom five in the NL in ERA (5.01), WHIP (1.46), and fielding independent pitching (4.51).

While the Diamondbacks have done a better job putting runs on the board as of late, meanwhile, their lineup has been middling overall, as Arizona ranks seventh in the NL this year in runs per game (4.48), OPS (.775), and weighted runs created plus (99).

So, La Russa said, directing criticism at Hale just doesn't make much sense.

"I believe in the talent and the character of the club. I definitely believe in the manager and the coaching staff," La Russa said.