Sunday, August 5, 2018

Praising Arizona


So...it's close...but the D-Backs-Dodgers feud is as unresolved as ever. The D-Backs are, in fact, covering first, but so were the Dodgers the other day, so at this point, it could be either one.

The Diamondbacks are still pretty good, though. Several fringe players, like Nick Ahmed, Daniel Descalso and Ketel Marte, have stepped up big time and are fueling the infield's renaissance. Paul Goldschmidt is still on top. Greinke and Corbin are still having incredible seasons on the mound. The Peralta-Pollock outfield combo still works. New additions Jon Jay and Eduardo Escobar have been working rather well in short term, improving roster mobility, which is nice.

This team is succeeding with far less than someone like the Dodgers, who loaded up with stars like Brian Dozier and Manny Machado with the sole purpose of getting to the end, simply because they should at this point. The D-Backs are a different team than they were in 2017, and are a little less top-heavy, and less reliant on power-hitting. But they're still a team to watch, because when you least expect it they can pile up a lead on small stuff.

Things are also just beginning to turn up for them at the right time. Clay Buchholz is back off the DL,  Zack Godley's had a nice streak, and things look alright. But they can't get cocky now, or else the Dodgers will overtake them. They just need to keep the Dodgers down, and hold onto the lead, or else they'll, at most, be vying for the Wild Card race, and that's pretty overstuffed at the present moment.

Coming Tomorrow- He hit two bombs today, and just hit his 1000th MLB hit. And he's one of the few things Orioles fans have left to be happy about.

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