D-Back Final Week To-Do List

At this time next week, there will be 20 teams, including the Arizona Diamondbacks, who will not play another game until 2014. While we are now knee-deep in touchdowns and just beginning to see some colors to those green leaves, there are still seven games left in the D-Backs’ season. There are some obvious things we look forward to over the next week. We want Paul Goldschmidt to become both the home run and RBI champion. We want Patrick Corbin to cap off an outstanding season with one last strong start. Here are some other beneath-the-surface items that I would like to see before we say bye-bye to the Snakes for 2013.

Can Kirk Gibson please keep the batting order the same for this last week? Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

• For one week, Kirk Gibson needs to keep the lineup intact. That means if Adam Eaton and Gerardo Parra play every day, they should be one and two. If A.J. Pollock plays for one of those two, he slides into one of those spots in the order. I believe consistently changing the lineup around, guys coming to the park every day not knowing where they will be hitting has been a contributing factor to the D-Backs’s second straight .500 season.
• Speaking of the order, the outfielders for these last seven games should be Martin Prado in left field, Eaton in center and Parra in right. That appears to be what the 2014 outfield will look like even when Cody Ross returns. Unless, of course my next to-do wish gets traded.
• Play Matt Davidson every day at third base. He has 15 hits in 59 at-bats but he also has drawn nine walks. Davidson has started nine games in September and has hit safely in seven of them. Whether he is starting at third in Arizona or somewhere else in 2014, he deserves to be the every day guy at the hot corner from now until Sunday.
• Unless the closer’s role will be an open audition in Spring Training, have J.J. Putz go back to being the ninth inning man. Brad Ziegler has done well saving games but I have to assume he will go back to being a key setup guy next year.  Make Putz close same games out so he can end a disappointing season on a positive note.

Here is hoping all of these scenarios will play out as I have drawn them up. How about a 7-0 record to close out 2013?

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