The Diamondbacks are a good team. Their high-powered offense has been somewhat offset by inconsistent pitching, resulting in a record that has hovered around .500 for what seems like most of the season.
The Diamondbacks are not a playoff contender in 2015, despite what many said after the team swept the Cincinnati Reds.
The team scored a total of 26 runs in the four games, including an 11-run outburst. They followed it by shutting out the Reds.
The sweep reminded Diamondbacks fans that the team can compete well. Unfortunately, the series that has been the climax of the regular season came against the fourth-worst team in the league.
The Reds are not the same as the Dodgers, Cubs or Pirates, all of whom Arizona is chasing.
The latter two teams are almost completely out of reach for the Diamondbacks. As of Sunday afternoon, Pittsburgh has 79 wins and the Cubs have 73. The Diamondbacks have 63.
With a relatively tough schedule ahead for the Diamondbacks, they may not even be competing for a playoff spot midway through September.
The Diamondbacks’ best bet would be to displace the Dodgers in the West. However, Arizona has performed abysmally against the Dodgers in recent years. Over the last two seasons, the Diamondbacks have a combined 7-24 record against the Dodgers.
The two teams will meet seven more times in 2015.
The Diamondbacks also have to play the Giants six times, along with a series against the Cubs and one against the Astros. Pitching will have to be consistently magnificent, and while each starter has had shining moments during the season, none seems quite ready to pitch lights-out for lengthy periods at a time.
It’ll be a fight for the Diamondbacks to win 25 more games, which is likely the minimum they’d need to beat the Dodgers.
Next year may be different. It is not inconceivable to say A.J. Pollack could have a 25/30 year while batting .310. Paul Goldschmidt is expected to maintain high levels of output. If David Peralta can play a full season with three-quarters of his post-All Star game output, he’d be a .300 hitter.
Additionally, a full offseason for Archie Bradley to recover from his injuries and any problems he may have from the line-drive to the face will be good for him. Patrick Corbin will presumably have a full season under his belt, post-Tommy John surgery. Chase Anderson has been impressive during parts of the season, and Zack Godley will likely get more time on the mound.
It’s been a long time since the Diamondbacks had a reason to be excited this late in the year. Sweeping the Reds, though it may be fun, is not a cause for celebration. It is more of a glimpse of what the Diamondbacks may be able to do in the future against solid clubs.
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Reach the reporter at logan.newman@asu.edu or follow @Logan_Newsman on Twitter.
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