The Arizona Diamondbacks are still chasing the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they’ve done enough lately to keep themselves in the conversation. At 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, they’re hanging around, and the way they handled the final stretch before the All-Star break gave them a real boost heading into the pause.
A big part of that surge has been the pitching. Brandon Pfaadt’s return from Triple-A has changed the feel of the staff, with the right-hander winning his last three starts since coming back from Reno. The offense hasn’t exactly been overwhelming, but it has been doing just enough to help Arizona keep stacking wins.
That mattered last week, because the schedule wasn’t soft. The Diamondbacks had to deal with two division opponents on the road, first the San Diego Padres and then the Dodgers.
Against San Diego, Arizona split the four-game set. Then it flipped the script against Los Angeles and took all three games.
That sweep was enough to move the Diamondbacks up in Bleacher Report’s latest power rankings. Kerry Miller pushed them from No. 18 to No. 15, and his write-up centered on the impact of Pfaadt and Merrill Kelly.
"Welcome back, Brandon Pfaadt. He had a 5.92 ERA and had been serving in a relief role for more than a month when he was sent down to Triple-A Reno in early June.
But in three starts since his return late last month, he has gone 3-0 with a 1.72 ERA, including out-dueling Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Saturday. Merrill Kelly also had a seven-inning gem this week as he looks to bounce back from a brutal June.
There's no way they'll chase down the Dodgers for the NL West crown, but there might still be postseason life in the desert after all."
The Diamondbacks won’t be catching the Dodgers in the division, but after a tough week on the road, they’re heading into the break with momentum and a little more life in the standings.
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