The Arizona Diamondbacks didn't move above the .500 mark for good this season until beating the Toronto Blue Jays on July 12. Six-plus weeks later, the Diamondbacks are the hottest team in the majors.
Arizona will aim to move 20 games over the break-even mark when they face the New York Mets on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game set in Phoenix. Arizona has won 24 of its past 30 games entering the pivotal set against the Mets and will follow up with a four-game home set against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Diamondbacks trail Los Angeles by three games in the National League West while leading the NL wild-card chase.
Last year, Arizona snuck into the final playoff spot and ended up in the World Series. The consensus is that the Diamondbacks have a better overall squad this season. "I know everybody in this clubhouse feels a certain way about this team," Arizona right-hander Merrill Kelly said.
"I know a lot of our guys, if not all of our guys, feel that we're a better team than we were last year going into the playoffs. "So everybody's opinion outside of this clubhouse, in my opinion, doesn't really matter. But I know that we know that we have a really good team and that we have a chance to do something special.
" The Diamondbacks are riding their second six-game winning streak of the month. Arizona lost three straight to the Tampa Bay Rays to start a nine-game road trip before winning the final six contests. The Diamondbacks scored 45 runs while posting three-game swee.