Aaron Hill drives in Arizona's only run in a 6-1 loss to the Dodgers on 5/21. Image: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

They are now 10.5 games out of first place.  Their #2 pitcher has been missing since week two of the season.  And if you read the comments by fans on mlb.com, their best player has been, ahem, lacking focus.  It would be easy to completely dump on the Arizona Diamondbacks.   I won’t do that, at least not now but I will say this:  it is time for Diamondback fans to think of the Wild Card as the entry into the playoffs.

Let’s face it, the Los Angeles Dodgers will not be caught this season.  Beginning last August 1^st, the Dodgers are a robust 63-33 and barring a major injury, show no signs of slowing down.  Actually, their best player, Matt Kemp, has been hurt missing seven games so far and the team has thrived without him.  In fact, LA should only get stronger as ownership has been stabilized and will make the necessary improvements to make sure the team remains in first place.  With Arizona’s bullpen already overworked, it would seem impossible the D-Backs will be able to repeat as National League West Champions.

This is not to say 2012 is lost for Arizona.  As we have seen time and again, deficits like these, particularly at this point of the season, are not insurmountable for teams who make a Wild Card run.   There is still too much talent and too many players that will be heard from in the second half of the season.  One of those players might be Trevor Bauer who could get a call to the Majors in order to alleviate the tremendous burden on the relief pitchers.  And unless the team totally collapses, I would think GM Kevin Towers as a deal or two in him to help the team make it to October baseball.

Hang tight, fans.  No one said it was easy to follow the day to day grind of a baseball team.  Forget about winning the division as the route to the postseason will be through the Wild Card.  After that, dream those big World Series dreams.

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Aaron Hill rounds third after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Image: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

This season, which started out with such promise and great expectations is in danger of slipping away from the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Sure, you may say, it is only mid-May and on this date last season they were 17-22 as opposed to the current 15-21 record.   True, but the season is over 20% finished and one can not expect exactly similar results to 2011.  Also, there were only 5 games out of first place last year compared to 9.5 games out in 2012.   Perhaps the biggest difference is the fact that the Dodgers will not be going away and possess the best player (Matt Kemp) and the best pitcher (Clayton Kershaw) in the division.

You can blame the injuries of Chris Young and Daniel Hudson for the  month-long malaise but teams all around baseball have suffered injuries and some like the Mets have thrived in spite of their player losses.   Even when those guys and Stephen Drew come back, not all of the D-Back ailments will go away.   The starting pitching needs to go deeper into games to give an overworked bullpen a much-deserved rest.  The offense may not truly get going until Justin Upton  gets out of his funk.   If the team continues to struggle, we could be looking at a fire sale come July 31st, with Joe Saunders being a prime trade candidate. 

The next four weeks will give us an idea where this season is headed.  Beginning today until June 6th, Arizona will play 15 games against NL West opponents.   After playing three games against Oakland, it will be off to Texas for the best in baseball Rangers followed by a trip against the Angels.  After the finale against the Halos, the calendar will read June 17th.  We will know then if the D-Backs will be in it until October.

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Feb 24, 2012; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson (middle left) talks with members of the coaching staff along side executive vice president and general manager Kevin Towers (middle right) during spring training at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

Most, if not all of us here at Venomstrikes think the Arizona Diamondbacks will be in for some big things during the upcoming 2012 season.  This is not because we write a site dedicated to them.  There are legitimate reasons why we feel this team could be special, from Justin Upton, to the depth of the pitching staff to the outstanding 1-2 management punch of Kirk Gibson  and Kevin Towers.  Oh, and don’t forget they won 94 games and the National League West  in 2011.  Yet, it would be fun to offer an opposing view, one that has the D-Backs crashing back down to Earth, something along the lines of a. 82-80 record and third place in the division.  It would go something like this.

The division will be stronger.   The San Francisco Giants  were World Series  Champions two seasons ago.  They know how to win.  Buster Posey  should be 100% healthy and expect closer Brian Wilson to bounce back as well.  There are is also those two starting pitchers, fellows by the names of Tim Lincecum  and Matt Cain.  The Los Angeles Dodgers  finished the 2^nd half a strong 41-28 and possess two of the game’s elite players in Clayton Kershaw  and Matt Kemp.    Hiroki Kuroda  is gone but Chris Capuano  could fill his void nicely.  A bounce-back year is in order for former All-Star Chad Billingsley.  So much went wrong for the Colorado Rockies  in 2011.  You can not discount a team with two offensive forces in Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki.  If their young starting pitching matures quickly, this team will give contenders fits.  The San Diego Padres  have wheeled and dealed the past two offseasons and the results could be interesting for 2012.  Former All-Stars Carlos Quentin and  Edinson Volquez  are ready to jump-start the franchise to bigger and better things. 

Production could drop for several players.  We know Ian Kennedy is an excellent pitcher but if you had to choose between Kershaw and Kennedy to win 21 games again, who would you put your money on?  Kennedy could still be a force and still win only 16 or 17 games.  Trevor Cahill is nice but his career ERA was almost 4.00 pitching half of his starts in the cozy confines of the Oakland Coliseum.    The health of J.J. Putz is always a concern.  Opposing NL hitters may figure out Brad Ziegler the second time around.  If Stephen Drew is not fully recovered from his ankle injury, Shortstop will be a concern for Arizona.

You don’t go from 69 wins one season to 94 wins the very next one without a good deal of luck.  Some of that luck may evaporate during 2012 for the D-Backs. Arizona could still play well enough for 88 victories but that could very well result in a second place finish and out of the wild card mix this season.  What we can say with certainty is that the future is bright for the team in the Valley.

Follow me on Twitter @ltj41 and at www.clearthebases.net