One year after surprise World Series run, the Diamondbacks are struggling to produce a worthy sequel

Arizona's ascension into baseball's elite during an unexpected run to the World Series was one of baseball's biggest stories last year, when a young Diamondbacks team nearly won the title. The D-backs have a 21-23 record roughly one-quarter through the schedule and sit in third place in the National League West, 7 1/2 games behind the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. The 23-year-old Carroll is batting just .193 with two homers and a .539 OPS.