Paul Goldschmidt not ready to count Arizona Diamondbacks out
Jul 18, 2014, 11:14 PM | Updated: Jul 20, 2014, 5:51 pm
As the Arizona Diamondbacks begin the post-All-Star break part of their season, they start with a 40-56 record.
Entering Friday’s matchup with the Chicago Cubs, Arizona was 13.5 games back of the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, and 12 out of a Wild Card spot.
In short, it appears any playoff hopes the team may have had at one point are officially dead.
Or not.
A guest of Burns and Gambo on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Friday, D-backs first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, an All-Star, said there is still belief that this season could extend past game 162.
“We haven’t played well but we definitely have the pieces, and if we can just find a way to get on a roll,” he said. “You never know what can happen in this game; we’ve seen crazy things happen.”
The Diamondbacks have been looking for that “roll” for the better part of two seasons. While they have played better since their disastrous start to the season, unfortunately they have been unable to string much together and make up ground.
But they’re not mathematically eliminated yet, and until they are there is a chance — no matter how small it may be — that this season could still have a happy ending.
“There’s a lot of games left, we’ve got two-and-a-half months left,” Goldschmidt said. “We need to get going, but I think we definitely have the talent and hopefully, it’s going to take a little luck and stuff like that, but definitely we can play well and go out there and give ourselves a chance.”
Goldschmidt seems to have the same mind set as the rest of the organization in that while their record isn’t very good, this team isn’t too far off from being where it wants to be.
The belief is that a break here or there or a few less injuries would have changed the course of the season, and it’s possible that’s the case. But as Goldschmidt understands, feeling that way doesn’t do much to help the team in the standings.
“I definitely think we have the talent, but on the other hand your record is what it is, we haven’t played well,” he said. “I definitely believe that we have it in us, but now we need to go out and prove it. It needs to start tonight; we need to go out there and start playing well and have a good second half.
“And if you do that, you never know what can happen. If it’s us getting close or us making the playoffs or not, whatever happens happens. But we’d like to go out and play well and hopefully create some momentum, hopefully for this second half. And if not, for next year.”
