For D-backs, playoffs are a real possibility
August 3rd, 2011.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, with 110 games in the books, are tied for first place in the NL West. A division title, and the playoff birth that comes with it, is a real possibility.
Then again, so is the NL Wild Card.
“Even though we should keep all of our eyes focused on the Giants,” Sports 620 KTAR’s Doug Franz said on the Doug and Wolf show Wednesday, “the Braves are sliding back to the pack and the Diamondbacks and Giants are now only a game-and-a-half out of the Wild Card.”
Indeed, while it was once thought that the D-backs would need to win their division to make the postseason, they have actually played their way into the Wild Card discussion.
“So what we assumed is all eggs have to go after the Giants, or you’re not going to the postseason, now the Wild Card is in play as well,” Franz added. “Playoffs are no longer this pipe dream for the Arizona Diamondbacks.”
Franz is right, though it still may be difficult to believe. However, it’s time everyone realizes this Diamondbacks team is no fluke. They are tied for the fifth best record in baseball and are the only team in the NL West to have a positive run differential.
That said, a playoff birth is by no means a certainty. But it’s a possibility, and that is a rather pleasant observation to make on August 3rd.
