Archie Bradley views Diamondbacks’ sweep of Dodgers as turning point of season

When it comes to the momentum the Diamondbacks gained following a sweep of the Dodgers, former Arizona pitcher Archie Bradley views the series victory as a huge moment to turn the team’s season around.

Bradley told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Tuesday he sees the sweep not just as a determiner of whether the Diamondbacks will be buyers or sellers during the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 3, but as proof Arizona can compete with the best team in baseball, the Dodgers.

“For a team that is looking for something going into the break, this is the team to beat,” Bradley said. “This is the team in your division that is going to go win the World Series. I go back to 2017 (D-backs); it proves that when you take everything out and just stack nine against nine, we can play with them.”

 

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Arizona completed its first regular-season sweep of Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, its first since September 2017. Bradley, who was on the 2017 squad, said that feeling of beating a team like the Dodgers was very gratifying, especially for a team he felt disrespected by.

“To beat any Major League Baseball team three, four games in a row, that is tough to do, especially a team of that caliber in their stadium. Getting on that flight home, I felt like we were the Yankees of 1927,” Bradley said.

“I just felt we were always so disrespected by L.A. It wasn’t personal by the players, but just the mantra of what we’ve created, what I created in my head… I felt like we were the team to beat.”

Bradley emphasizes importance of Diamondbacks’ series after All-Star break

The D-backs (49-47) are 2.5 games back of the final National League Wild Card spot with four of their first seven games against the St. Louis Cardinals (50-45) coming up following the All-Star break.

Bradley, who was dealt by the D-backs to the Cincinnati Reds at the deadline in 2020, emphasized how every win will be important for the team if they want to be buyers at this year’s trade deadline.

“This is where I start to feel pressure. When I was a closer or setup guy, one or two games is going to make the difference of us going after and trading someone or dealing someone,” Bradley said.

“Realistically, these next two, three series out of the gate is really quickly going to determine who’s going to be a Diamondback and who’s not.”

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