Diamondbacks series against Twins could provide Wild Card boost

As the Arizona Diamondbacks head into a weekend series against the Minnesota Twins, this series can give them the swagger they need to move ahead of the Colorado Rockies in the Wild Card race.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are tied with the Colorado Rockies in the NL Wild Card, but this weekend could change that.

While the Rockies will face the Milwaukee Brewers, the Diamondbacks are in Minnesota to face one of the teams vying for a spot in the AL Wild Card.

The Rockies will have the tougher series ahead of them, as the Brewers are one game back in the NL Central, but are riding a four-game winning streak into Denver. The Rockies don’t have the same luck, as they’ve lost seven of their last ten games.

More from Venom Strikes

• Happy Thanksgiving Diamondbacks Fans! We have lots to be thankful for!
• The perfect holiday gifts for the Arizona Diamondbacks fan
• Diamondbacks make some BIG 40-man roster Moves
• About time! Diamondbacks to now provide housing for Minor League players
• What is the Rule 5 Draft? How does it impact Diamondbacks?

Meanwhile, the Twins are six games back in the AL Central and are on schedule to face the strongest parts of the Diamondbacks rotation.

Zack Godley and Zack Greinke will take the mound in the first two games of the series. Anthony Banda was originally slated to start on Sunday, but was optioned back to Reno on Thursday. It is unclear whether or not Banda will still start.

The closest pitching matchup will Godley facing Ervin Santana on Friday night. Godley’s 2.95 ERA will hold well against Santana’s 3.28 ERA, while Godley looks to redeem himself from the loss he earned in his last outing.

But, luckily for the Diamondbacks, the offense is getting back into a groove.

In the last week, Paul Goldschmidt is batting .368 with two home runs, while J.D. Martinez is following him with a .273 batting average.

But, they aren’t alone. Ketel Marte is batting .372 in the last two weeks, adding three doubles to his stat line. Third baseman Jake Lamb is also batting .400 in the last week.

The bullpen is also in good hands. Archie Bradley has not allowed a run in 10 games (9.1 IP) and holding a 1.33 ERA, while Fernando Rodney has not blown a save since July 6.

While it seems every aspect of the Diamondbacks team is coming together at the right time, the Twins have also lost seven of their 11 matchups against NL West teams this season.

After Minnesota, the Arizona Diamondbacks will head farther east to face the New York Mets, another series that could go their way and before division matchups.