The Diamondbacks will play for the National League West division this weekend. They face an uphill battle to take the division, being four games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers with four games left to play against them. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that more than 170,000 tickets have been sold, with anticipated sellouts on Friday and Saturday.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Arizona Diamondbacks have sold nearly 170,000 tickets for their 4-game series against the Dodgers with anticipated sellouts Friday and Saturday at Chase Field.
The D-backs trail the Dodgers by 4 games in the NL West.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 30, 2024
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo appeared on The Burns & Gambo Show to discuss what should be an electric series at Chase Field over the weekend. Lovullo wants his team to be able to slow the game down, take a deep breath, and execute in the big moments.
“It’s about standing where your own two feet are and understanding what the situation’s asking for. Be able to take a deep breath and execute. I don’t want anything to change. We’ve won a lot of games. We’re 70-plus games on the positive side of things. And we’re doing our job.”
The previous series against the New York Mets was a prime example of what happens when the Diamondbacks aren’t doing those things. The defensive and pitch execution were subpar in key moments in the series, allowing the Mets to score runs and take two of the three when Arizona had a chance to bury them in the National League Wild Card race. However, they have a new opportunity and that’s to put a huge dent in, if not break the inevitability of another Dodgers division title.
Lovullo was asked about the importance of winning the division, but the Diamondbacks manager is more concerned about how his team is playing as they get into the postseason. Last season serves as the perfect example of that. Arizona got hot in September, claiming the No. 6 seed with 84 wins, then went on to the World Series.
“Getting into the big dance is the most important thing,” said Lovullo. “84 wins last year, it was a low total. We started playing good baseball.
We went to the World Series. So once you get into the dance, anything can happen.”
If winning the NL West is not feasible, the Diamondbacks are still in an excellent position to take the top Wild Card spot. They have won 37 of their last 52 games and are currently one game ahead of the San Diego Padres. Winning the NL’s No. 4 seed will be important, as that will mean being able to host the Wild Card series. The Padres are the most likely team they’ll face, but the Atlanta Braves and the Mets are two other teams to account for.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
