Jul 18, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Ian Kennedy (31) pitches during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Image: Frank Victores-US PRESSWIRE

Here they come.

Maybe most fans around the country haven’t picked up on it yet. But you can bet the other teams in the National League have taken notice. And if they haven’t, they may not realize it before it is too late.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are in the middle of a long winning stretch of games.

The cynics and critics will say the current four game winning streak is a product of the competition, first the woeful Astros and now the sliding Rockies. The next team to visit will be the imploding Mets.  So what, I say. Good teams are supposed to beat up on lesser teams. And beat up seems to be the term with these D-Backs. In their last five wins, Arizona’s smallest margin of victory was last night’s three run difference against Colorado. Even in their one loss sandwiched between those triumphs was a 6-0 lead they inexplicably let get away.

 Let us also remember what the D-Backs did in 2011.  They went 45-25 to close out the season.  Granted, there is no Daniel Hudson around this time but bullpen reinforcements have arrived in the form of Brad Bergesen and Takashi Saito.  Ian Kennedy is now 20-6 with an ERA around 2.75 in 36 career games after the All Star Break (thanks to Scott Bordow at azcentral.com for that nugget).  Of course, there is now Jason Kubel on board to provide the other big bat in the lineup that was absent last season.  As the trade deadline comes and goes, expect Justin Upton to be more relaxed and carry the offense for two weeks at some point. 

Yes, D-Back fans there are plenty of reasons to be pumped.  After all of the drama that has gone on the first three and a half months of 2012, the team is right in the playoff hunt.  Get ready for some exciting, winning baseball over the next two months.

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As they head east to Cincinnati to play the Reds, I had the time to search around and see what others are saying about the hapless Dbacks.

Steve Gilbert from mlb.com wrote today on Dbacks.com that he thinks the Dbacks are going to try to make a move before the All-Star break.  Other than Justin Upton and Dan Haren, who do they have to bargain with?

Fanster.com calls the Dbacks the Bad News Bears

Scott Bordow from The East Valley Tribune says that the Dbacks lead leading 71 errors are inexcusable and this season is shaping up to be the worst in their history. That’s saying a lot after their 2004 finish of 111 losses.

Andrew Bagnato from the AP in the USA TODAY said that manager A.J. Hinch held fielding practice on Sunday for the “Bumbling” Dbacks not as a punishment, but rather for “maintenance”.  Now he says, maybe it’s time for punishment after yesterday’s performance.

Clearly, no one is impressed with the 2009 Diamondbacks.