The Diamondbacks will have a golden opportunity to play their way back into contention for a National League Wild Card spot. After righting the ship in the final two games in New York, they currently sit at 27-32 and 2.0 games back of the final Wild Card spot. For their next two series, they’ll play seven games against two teams ahead of them in the standings, the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Giants serve as an interesting first test. They’re two games under .500 with a beat up roster, but that team always carries an unique stubbornness to them against the Diamondbacks no matter how good they actually are. Their starting lineup has been hit hard with injuries, including a season-ender for Jung Hoo Lee. Blake Snell, one of their top free agent signings, has struggled and was removed from his last start with a groin injury. Their pitching staff ranks 26th in the majors in ERA at 4.45, but the Diamondbacks also went through a rough stretch May 24-30 where they scored only nine runs total.
On paper, the Giants should be a team the Diamondbacks can beat at home. However, the equalizer is the fact that Arizona themselves don’t have a consistent starting rotation. Their top three starters are on the injured list, leaving them to pitch Ryne Nelson, Blake Walston, and Jordan Montgomery in the series. The Giants are a sneaky good hitting team, with their 103 wRC+ ranking 10th in MLB.
After the Giants, the Diamondbacks will travel to Petco Park to play the San Diego Padres. Arizona struggled in Petco Park in recent years, especially in 2022 where they went 2-7. The Padres are a better team than they were last season, with a more consistent starting rotation. The Dylan Cease trade has paid off dividends already and Luis Arraez has been a good pickup as their new leadoff hitter. They’re two games over .500 and are in excellent shape to carry a Wild Card spot in a wide-open race. The Diamondbacks would do well to earn a four-game series split, a series loss could be a significant setback for their season.
The next week could very well determine where the Diamondbacks stand in the Wild Card race. Aside from the typical motivation from playing a division rival, the opportunity to catch up in the Wild Card standings should be a good test for the mental makeup of this team. Realistically speaking, the expectation is the team goes 4-3 in this stretch to stay afloat but winning both series would be a huge boost to their playoff chances.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona Cardinals for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
