Looking Good: How The Diamondbacks Plan To Take On New York Mets And Dodgers In A Wraparound Series On Labor Day Weekend

The Diamondbacks face what will likely be their toughest homestand of the season this upcoming week. They’ll play the New York Mets in a three-game series followed up by a four-game, wraparound series on Labor Day Weekend against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both series will be tough, with two teams desperate for series wins to strengthen their playoff hopes. However, at the same time, Arizona will be gifted the same opportunities to do the same.

Entering play on August 26, the Diamondbacks have a 96.5% chance of making the postseason according to FanGraphs and 98.5% on Baseball Reference. Only five teams have stronger postseason odds, albeit one of them is visiting Chase Field this week.

A strong homestand would mean a lot for the Diamondbacks this season. Winning both series would not only bolster their chances of winning the National League West but also their chances of clinching a postseason spot. Arizona is only three games back of the Dodgers for the division lead with four head-to-head games left against them, and their magic number to clinch the postseason is currently at 25

It won’t be easy for the Diamondbacks to pull off. The Mets have become increasingly desperate to pile on wins, as they are currently 2.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves and 7.0 back of Arizona. The Mets have won seven of the last nine games played at Chase Field, although you can argue this is a different Diamondbacks team than they played at the end of May. Not too long after Arizona left town, New York went on a hot streak in the middle of June and July, but have cooled off of late.

The key batter they’ll have to contain is shortstop Francisco Lindor, who is closing in on another strong season for New York. In 26 games against Arizona, Lindor has a .369/.419/.670 slash with six home runs. In the Mets’ two wins against the Diamondbacks, he was 6-for-8 with a double and a home run. In their two losses, he was 1-for-7.

The Dodgers are always a tough opponent, no matter what year it is or who’s playing for them. They’re at full strength with their starting lineup, as Mookie Betts is back from a fractured left hand that kept him out eight weeks. The Dodgers lineup is a fearsome opponent to face, as they can wear down opponents and capitalize on every little mistake much like the Diamondbacks have been doing of late.

Their pitching staff, especially their rotation, has been an issue all season due to health issues. They traded for Jack Flaherty to try to bolster their rotation, but it appears that Tyler Glasnow will not be coming back in time for this series. That leaves them with just Flaherty and Gavin Stone as their most reliable options for the weekend. Walker Buehler has an ERA over 6.00 since coming back from his second Tommy John surgery but has a strong history against Arizona with a 2.07 ERA in 13 starts. Future Hall of Fame left-hander Clayton Kershaw is also expected to start in the series.

Winning both series would give the Diamondbacks the head-to-head tiebreaker against both teams, meaning they would have the advantage in the division race while also cutting the number of games needed to clinch a postseason spot by 20%. By having that tiebreaker, Arizona would only have to win one more game than the Dodgers for the rest of the season to clinch the division title. They have not won the division in the past 12 seasons, only making the playoffs twice over that stretch.

In order for the Diamondbacks to cement their postseason chances this week, they’ll need to continue doing the things that made them successful the last two months.