First Place Snakes Hope To Build Lead Against Rockies

Arizona Diamondbacks (75-59, 1st Place NL West, 4.0 Game Lead over San Francisco)

2011 Record vs. Colorado: 8-4 (59 runs scored, 49 runs allowed)

Last Series vs. Rockies: July 22-24, W 2-1 @ Chase Field

Game 1: We should always appreciate an Aaron Cook win, regardless of how poorly it may have come along. Cook went 6 innings (good) and only walked 2 batters (good) while allowing 4 runs (not good) on 8 hits (also not good) while striking out 1 (bad). He also notched 2 hits of his own (good). The Killer B's brought their A game, however, and Belisle, Brothers, and Betancourt finished the game without allowing another run. Offensively, every batter reached base except for Chris Iannetta (July was a pretty rough month for Iannetta - .664 OPS), and they all combined that to plate 8 runs.

Final: L 4-8

Game 2: Much as we should appreciate Aaron Cook wins, we should also bemoan Jason Hammel losses. Hammel ALMOST made it through the 6th, but wouldn't you know it, those 8 runs just weighed him down like an overpacked mule. The way Hammel's season is going, it's hard to know what qualifies as good and bad. Hammel walked 4 and gave up 12 hits. That's really really really really bad. He also struck out a season-high 7 batters. It should be noted that Hammel did that 6 times in 2010; 2 of those with 8; one with 10. The Rockies offense was limited to a Troy Tulowitzki homer and a Ty Wigginton 2-RBI single.

Final: W 12-3

Game 3: What's more embarrassing than a 12-3 thrashing? Getting shut out by Micah Oings. 5 innings, 2 hits, 3 walks. Remember back in Mid-Late July when that was the norm? Getting no-hit by nobodies, failing to convert a single baserunner... That part is over, right? I mean, too little too late, but it's over, right? Oh, and credit Ubaldo Jimenez for 5 runs in 5, Belisle 2 runs in 2, and a scoreless 8th from Huston Street.

Latest Series Results: W 3-4 at Washington; W 3-0 vs San Diego

The Diamondbacks are in the midst of a 6-game winning streak. They've had 4 of those this season. 

A funny fact about the Dbacks season is that they've had 4 pitcher home runs this season. A funnier fact is that Micah Owings hasn't hit a single one of them. Daniel Hudson has hit one, Barry Enright has hit one, and get this: Zach Duke has hit 2. Duke might not be much for pitching, but he's posting a .879 OPS this season.

Really though, we can't say enough right now about Arizona's pitching. The offense is decidedly below average (93 wRC+), and out of their regular starters, only Justin Upton has a .800+ OPS (.907). That said, the Dbacks have had 12 pitchers pitching above the league average mark this season. HR prevention trends (AKA xFIP) suggest that the Dbacks pitching might not be able to hold out for much longer, but up until now, it's been keeping them firmly in contention.

Arizona's bullpen also has a top-10 pitching WAR, per Fangraphs.

Kevin Towers has done a lot of good with this Arizona team, to the point where their Ace is in consideration for the NL Cy Young award.

As far as flash and dazzle go, it's hard to pick a single pitcher from Arizona. You could pick any of the 6 members of their bullpen with a sub-3 ERA. You could pick one of their top 2 pitchers, both of whom should finish the season above 4 fWAR. Whoever you choose to credit for the Diamondbacks' success in 2011, they're in good company with their contemporaries.

Monday through Wednesday: 3-game series at Chase Field

Monday, August 29 @ 7:40PM MT

Tuesday, August 30 @ 7:40PM MT

Wednesday, August 31 @ 7:40PM MT

Roster