Diamondbacks playoff push: What the perfect lineup would look like come October

Tonight kicks off a huge series against the San Fransico Giants; Ace Zac Gallen will make his 32nd start and that is tremendous news for Arizona.  He has twirled quality starts in his two games against the Giants this season.

Speaking of Gallen, he has really struggled this month.  But look for him to get back on track against an offense that ranks 28th in runs per game since the all-star break.  Gallen also has been lights out at home this season ( 11-2 record, 2.18 ERA, 0.97 WHIP ) so that should encourage D-backs fans.

As the postseason inches closer, many fans might wonder what the lineup will look like in a game 1 situation.  Obviously, Gallen will be on the hill, Carroll will be in the outfield, and Marte and Walker will be locking down the right side of the infield.

But outside of those 4, it is hard to say who will be where.  If I were Torey Lovullo, this would be my game 1 postseason lineup…

Diamondbacks playoff push: What the perfect lineup would look like come October

Obviously, when I tweeted this I forgot to put DH to the right side of Gurriel Jr.'s name, but you get the idea.  This would be the perfect lineup in my eyes.  Let me tell you why.

If you have read my previous writing, you will know that I have always been high on Perdomo leading off.  First and most importantly, Perdomo gets on base (.357 OBP).  That is the ultimate goal of a leadoff hitter, and Geraldo does that at a very efficient rate.

His other numbers back my opinion up as well.  He can steal bases (16), he leads the team in pitches per plate appearance (4.2), he doesn’t strike out often (17.1 K%), and he draws a lot of walks (12.7 BB%).  Case closed, he should be the leadoff man.

Spots 2 through 4 shouldn’t surprise anyone.  Marte followed by Carroll and Walker is just runs waiting to happen.  Some might think that Pham should be higher in the order, but since joining Arizona his OPS is a mere .773.

Gurriel Jr. has been on fire this month (1.008 OPS) thus I have him in the 5 spot.  He is also 2nd on the team in RBIs making him a perfect candidate to follow the cleanup man Walker.

Following up with playing the hot hand theme, I have Moreno batting 7th.  In 33 games after the all-star break, Moreno has 13 extra-base hits and 33 RBIs.  Not to mention he has the highest defensive WAR in baseball, so he is an automatic lock for the starting lineup.

Longoria might come as a surprise to some, but this move is mainly because of his postseason experience (35 games played).  Longoria is having a modest season with Arizona (.720 OPS - 0 OAA) but his October past propels him into the starting 9.

Lastly, I am aware that Alek Thomas can’t hit to save his life (.664 OPS).  But his elite ability in the outfield is a must for the Diamondbacks.  Thomas is in the top 30 in outfield defense this season.  One or two big plays from him defensively could win Arizona a playoff game.

What would you change in this lineup?