Diamondbacks starting pitcher Wade Miley (36) throws during the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Chase Field. Image: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

Go ahead, D-Back  fans, think about this for a moment.   If I had told you April 1^st that on June 26^th, (A) Justin Upton would be the fourth-best home run hitter on the team, (B) Daniel Hudson would have three whole wins and (C) Ian Kennedy’s  ERA would be two runs higher than last year’s, do you think the club would be in shouting distance of first place?  You probably would think it was a rotten April Fool’s joke.  Well the joke will soon be on the rest of baseball as Arizona is starting to heat up and will zoom right into the All-Star break as the hottest team in baseball.

The Dodgers are playing the Giants this week so you know much of the baseball world will be focused on that series.  Then we will hear about how every team in the American League East is at least three games over .500.  Fine.   Thursday night, however there better be a big shining light in Atlanta as the highly anticipated debut of  Trevor Bauer  is set to take place.   As of this morning, MLB Network is advertising Yankees-White Sox  and Tigers-Rays as their two marquee games.  Detroit is already being featured tonight against the Rangers.   Yawn.   If the network doesn’t switch and make D-Backs-Braves the big game that night, we will know where Arizona stands in the MLB pecking order.   But that’s a story for a different day.

At 37-35, the D-Backs haven’t even played their best ball yet.  Sure, they have won four in a row and are 7-3 in their last 10 but do you really think they can’t get better?  Watch as Upton hits about .350 from now until the rest of the season and Paul Goldschmidt  gets some consistency and launches about 20 more balls out of the yard.  Maybe when one of those dingers hits an unsuspecting fan in the pool over the right-center field wall will Arizona get the love they deserve.

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Arizona Diamondback starter Ian Kennedy delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in Phoenix on May 8, 2012. Kennedy struggled in the game, giving up six earned runs in seven innings of work. (Image: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE)

Kennedy will have repeated nightmares about this game and the one person in those nightmares will be outfielder Carlos Beltran.  Beltran had a huge night, going two for four with all six Cardinal RBIs.  He hit a two-run homer in the first inning and smashed a  grand slam in the second inning.  Thanks to Beltran, the team has not missed Albert Pujols, and his bat in the lineup.

After those two innings, Kennedy was able to settle down and shut down the Cardinals the rest of the way.  He finished with this stat line, seven innings pitched, giving up six hits, six earned runs, walking two and striking out six batters.

The Diamondbacks were unfortunately held in check by former Cleveland Indian,  Jake Westbrook.  He did not allow a run in seven innings, gave up four hits, walked two and struck out eight.  The only run scored against the Cardinals was a run in the ninth off reliever Mitchell Boggs, when Miguel Montero doubled in Justin Upton.

This game highlights some of the things plaguing the team this young season.  The team is third in the league in strikeouts, with 242, trailing only the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets.  It is something which improved last season, but the team seem to be reverting back to its old ways.  Both Jason Kubel and Upton have 28 strikeouts on the season, followed by Montero, Willie Bloomquist, and Aaron Hill, all over 20 strikeouts.

Other offensive disappointments have been the struggles of Paul Goldschmidt and Ryan Roberts.  Both were expected to have big seasons, but neither has lived up to the expectations.  Goldschmidt is hitting .232 with a mere four RBIs while Roberts is hitting a woeful .190.  Both players will have to step it up or Lyle Overbay and Cody Ransom will take over for the pair permanently.

The Diamondbacks will need to put it all together, even with it being early in the season, because you don’t want to fall to far behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the division lead.  The next month or two will be key in determining if they will still be in it.

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Apr. 2, 2012; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks left fielder Willie Bloomquist (18) grounds out during the third inning against the Chicago Cubs at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

All good teams need a sufficient bench in order to have playoff dreams and the Arizona Diamondbacks are no exception.  The D-Backs’ unit headed by  Willie Bloomquist,  Geoff Blum and John McDonald  is as good a reserve unit as you will find in baseball.  Though their career numbers are not particularly flashy, each man provides a steadying hand when pressed into short term, or in Bloomquist’s case more longer stints of playing time. 

Bloomquist will once again fill in at Shortstop (and bat leadoff) while Stephen Drew  recovers from his ankle injury.  Once Drew returns,  Bloomquist will once again resume his role as a super utility man who is extremely valuable in the pinch.  He can play Second Base, Short and Left field and handle the bat decently in this role.  Blum’s career highlight came as a member of the Chicago White Sox.  His home run in the top of the 14th inning in Game 3 of the 2005 World Series gave the Sox a commanding 3-0 lead over the Houston Astros.   The next night, Chicago captured their first World Championship in 88 years.  He has played on two other playoff teams including last season’s NL West Champion D-Backs.  While McDonald does not have the same resume as Bloomquist and Blum, he has proved to be a serviceable player in a career that dates back to 1999.  He will be counted on as Bloomquist’s backup in the early going of the 2012 season.

When the games count, you can bet manager Kirk Gibson will be comfortable calling on Bloomquist, Blum and McDonald to get the clutch hit or make the key defensive stop.  Having excellent three players in reserve roles is a luxury most teams do not have.

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