Diamondbacks can influence the Playoffs these final 6 weeks

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The Diamondbacks might not be making the playoffs but they can widely affect the Playoffs

Just because the Diamondbacks aren’t going to make playoffs doesn’t mean that they can’t greatly affect the current playoff race in the MLB. The Dbacks have 40 games left to play this year. Guess how many of those are against teams currently trying to make the playoffs?

Out of those 40 games, 31 of them are against the teams contending for playoffs. You might be wondering which teams are considered “playoff contending teams”. To solve that query, I will turn your attention to a tweet by Jeff Passan. The tweet is why I wrote this article.

There are seven (and a half) really bad teams in MLB right now. I looked to see who plays them the most.

Their awfulness could have a demonstrable effect on the playoffs. Could the schedule be what puts Cincinnati in and San Diego out?

Analysis at ESPN+: https://t.co/38jo4KSZBz pic.twitter.com/2bSOSIvUMm
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 16, 2021

The Diamondbacks play 7 of those 16 teams. That’s nearly half the playoff race. The Dbacks could cause teams to fall out of the race all by themselves. Obviously, the teams in that race should be expected to beat the Dbacks. I mean, it’s obvious, just look at records, stats, and the games. They should win.

Yet, everyone said that of the most recent series against the Padres. Thanks to the Dbacks winning 3/4 of the games against the Padres, San Diego’s wildcard lead over the Reds has shrunk to 1 1/2 games. Before the series, that lead was 4 1/2 games. The Dbacks caused that lead to shrink. All standings and games behind are current as of 8/17/2021 and were taken from here.

So, who might the Dbacks cause to miss the playoffs, hurt their positioning in the playoffs, or otherwise affect them?

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JULY 31: Asdrubal Cabrera #14 of the Arizona Diamondbacks gets ready to make a play at first base against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field on July 31, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

The Opponents that the Diamondbacks can cause issues in the Playoff race for:

There’s three of the seven playoff contending teams that the Dbacks still have six games with.

They are:

Philadelphia Phillies: All six games will be played by end of next week. Their first game is tonight. The Phillies are in a three-team race for first place of the NL East. Atlanta is in first currently, but only hold a 1 1/2 game lead over the Phillies. The Mets are right behind them at only 3 1/2 games behind the Braves.
Seattle Mariners: All six games against the Mariners will be played during September. That’s a crucial time for the young up-and-coming team from the Pacific Northwest. They are currently only 5 games behind the 2nd Wild Card spot. They do have two teams ahead of them but you can’t focus on that. Each team can only do what they can affect which is win games. However, if the Dbacks won 4/6 of those games, you can say sayonara to playoffs for the Mariners.
Los Angeles Dodgers: The team that every Dbacks fan wants to go winless against the Snakes the rest of year could fall out of the race for 1st in the NL West if that were to happen. It’s extremely doubtful they would miss playoffs sadly. On the bright side, it would be so very sweet if the Dbacks could take the Dodgers out of the divisional race and ensure they have to play a one-game playoff. The Dodgers are only 4 games behind the first place Giants. Let’s hope the Dbacks can make that go to 6 or more games behind. The games against LA occur in the final 16 games of the season.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – AUGUST 05: Carson Kelly #18 of the Arizona Diamondbacks scores a run against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field on August 05, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

The Opponents that the Diamondbacks can cause issues in the Playoff race for:

There’s four other teams that the Dbacks can still affect in the race for the playoffs. Only of the four have more than three games against the Dbacks. Despite that, every game from here on is crucial for a team trying to make a run. These are going to be fun games that will be made more exciting by how our team can really change October.

The four teams are:

San Diego Padres: The team that the Dbacks just took 3/4 against only face the Snakes three more times this year. In fact, those are the only three games that the Padres have against the bottom 7 (& 1/2) teams in the MLB. As mentioned above, the Padres are only 1.5 games ahead of the Reds. The Dbacks two of three from the Padres at the end of August/early September and the Reds could be ahead of the Cali team.
Houston Astros: The Dbacks head to Houston to see our favorite pitcher, Zack Greinke and the Astros. The Astros are in 1st place in the NL West. They have stiff competition nipping at their heels in the Oakland Athletics. The Athletics are only 2.5 games behind Houston. If, by some miracle, the Dbacks swept the Astros with only two weeks before playoffs, there’s a good likelihood that the Astros would find themselves the heel-nipper. Those will be intense games indeed. Additionally, they are the final games in 2021 with the Dbacks using a DH.
Atlanta Braves: The Braves visit Chase Field for a four game series with the Diamondbacks. As I wrote above, the Braves are currently only 1.5 games ahead of the Phillies and 3.5 games ahead of the Mets. Every game is a must-win for tired Braves team that lost Ronald Acuna earlier this year. The series takes place only 1 1/2 weeks before the season ends too. If the Braves lost 3/4 to the Dbacks, then there’s a large possibility that the Braves will be watching the playoffs from their couch. The Diamondbacks could determine who wins the NL East from this series.
San Francisco Giants: The final series of the year is against the 1st place Giants. It’s a three game series. It could also determine if the Giants or Dodgers win the division. That’s huge. The Giants are only 4 games ahead of LA. If that lead shrunk to around 2 games. That final series of the year will determine who wins the NL West. If the Dbacks won 2/3 or more in the series, the Giants could be forced to play a one-game playoff. It will be intense.

By the way, Mr. Manfred, can you please get rid of the one-game playoff and make it a three-game series. It’s way better, more exciting, and more intense as was shown last year. Thanks!

Anyways, the Dbacks will be in the thick of the playoff chase this year even if it isn’t for themselves. Don’t be surprised if the Diamondbacks knock a team or two out of the playoff chase this year.

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As always,

May the Force be with You…

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