The Arizona Diamondbacks were 3 1/2 games behind the third wild-card place with four teams ahead of them as recently as June 28, when they were at 39-43 and below.500. In the NL West, they trailed the Los Angeles Dodgers by 11 1/2 games. The National League Champions from the previous year appeared to be a distant threat during the first three months of the current season. As of August 14, the D-backs have won nine out of the last ten games and 17 out of the past 20 (losing three games by a combined four runs). They are now the hottest club in baseball. Since June 29, their 29-10 record has been four games better than the best in baseball.
Arizona is currently six games ahead of a postseason berth and holds the top wild-card place. In the NL West, they are only 3 1/2 games behind the Dodgers. After hitting a walk-off two-run single against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, the scorching Jake McCarthy declared, “It’s been awesome” (via MLB.com). “But, you know, we want to continue to improve on this, and take this into September and the postseason.”
The D-backs have taken this action despite the fact that their Gold Glove first baseman and cleanup hitter, Christian Walker, has been sidelined since July 30 due to an oblique issue. Gabriel Moreno, a formidable catcher, suffered a groin strain last week. Paul Sewald was demoted from his position as closer because of his extreme struggles. Jordan Montgomery signed on Opening Day eve, and he still hasn’t been able to get his year going. Despite this, Arizona keeps winning; in their last nine home games, they have won three games in a walk-off. Since late June, they have not lost a home series. Heck, since late June, they haven’t dropped a series. From June 25–27, the D-backs lost two of their three games against the Minnesota Twins at Chase Field. Their final series loss occurred then. Since then, they are 12-0-1 in 13 series. How did the Diamondbacks salvage their season and emerge as the league’s hottest team? These are the top five causes of their recent rise.