Why June will be a tough month for the Diamondbacks

It has been an up-and-down month of May so far for the Diamondbacks; the team has gone 9-11 in the month so far. Despite the subpar record, Arizona was lucky to have series against even worse teams like the Braves, Yankees and an upcoming three-game slate against the Padres. In June they’re not going to be so lucky.

The Diamondbacks will play just 11 of 27 June games against teams currently below .500– with just two games coming against teams two or more games beneath the .500 threshold. So pretty much every game the Diamondbacks will play in June will come against a team at or near .500.

The June schedule will feature seven games against the surprisingly-solid Phillies, four against the pesky Rockies, three against the Cubs, Rays, Marlins and Dodgers, and two against the Blue Jays and Astros.

And as if that weren’t an obstacle already, just 12 of those games will come at home. The Diamondbacks will have a nine-game homestand from June 6-15 against with the Rays, Marlins and Dodgers series. After that, they won’t come home until June 27, when they will take on the Phillies for a three-game set.

This month is going to be a make-or-break month for the Diamondbacks, who currently sit 6.5 games behind the division-leading Giants and 4.5 back of the Phillies for the second Wild Card spot– highlighting the importance of games against Philadelphia in June.

If the Diamondbacks don’t do well in June, it could all but end their playoff hopes this season. If they’re buried in June, it’s unlikely we’ll see A.J. Pollock rush back to play this year.