Jared CohenIt has been an up and down season for the Diamondbacks but amongst the roller coaster ride, they are only 4.5 games out of first and riding a four game winning streak.
The team now begins a crucial ten-game home stand in which the team can make a serious push to climb the division standings.
Arizona will play Miami, San Diego and Cincinnati over the next ten games before starting a September that will be all NL West opponents except for the last three games of the year. In the process, 13 games will be against LA and San Francisco who remain ahead in the standings.
“It’s a little over a month to go, we know what we are pushing towards,” said Diamondbacks Manager Kirk Gibson. “We’re further back than we would like to be but the focus seems to be on the Dodgers and the Giants. That could be a good thing for us. We just need to worry about ourselves.”
The Diamondbacks have only had three home games during the entire month of August to this point. With the team riding a win streak, some home cooking is just what the team needs to continue this playoff push
“We’re happy to be home because we play better at home,” said Diamondbacks starting pitcher Ian Kennedy. “To be back at home with your families and sleeping in your own bed rather than being on the road…I know all of us guys are ready to be back at home playing in front of our home crowd.”
Meanwhile, while the Diamondbacks enjoy the current home stretch, the Giants and Dodgers will face off during the same span. The element of scoreboard watching could start to begin.
“The main thing is we have got to play our game,” explained Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero. “Then afterward we’ll probably go up and look at the board.”
