PHOENIX -- Some may have written off the Diamondbacks’ season at the July 31 Trade Deadline when they traded several of their big-name veterans, but beware because the Snakes are still alive in the postseason chase.
Arizona moved another game closer to the third and final NL Wild Card spot Saturday, beating the Red Sox, 5-1, at Chase Field.
The Diamondbacks now trail the Mets for the final Wild Card spot by 4 1/2 games.
“Like I said before the series, the top three hitters are amazing,” Boston manager Alex Cora said of the Diamondbacks. “They're really good at what they do. They set the tempo and they’ve done an amazing job for two days.”
Cora has only seen the past two days, but in reality Arizona has been playing this kind of baseball for a while now.
The Diamondbacks, who are now 21-13 since Aug. 1, entered the day with the third-best record in the Majors over that span behind only the Brewers and Phillies.
There is still quite a hill for the Diamondbacks to climb with just 19 games left to play in the season, but they definitely have some momentum going in their favor.
“We feel like we're in a good spot right now,” reliever Jalen Beeks said. “Clubhouse vibes are really good. We're just playing good baseball right now, and everything's really simple right now, which is great. So, we're excited to see what happens.”
The win raised the Diamondbacks’ record to 72-71, the first time they’ve been over the .500 mark since they were 43-42 after beating the Giants on July 1.
When general manager Mike Hazen traded veterans like third baseman Eugenio Suárez, first baseman Josh Naylor, outfielder Randal Grichuk and right-hander Merrill Kelly at the Trade Deadline, he did so only after watching his team go 1-5 on a road trip and fall to seven games under .500 at 51-58.
The moves opened up playing time for second-year player Blaze Alexander, and whether at third base or in the outfield, he has provided a spark both offensively and defensively.
After firing a 95-mph strike to home plate Friday night to cut down a runner, Alexander started Saturday’s game at third base before moving to left field in the seventh inning. In his entire baseball playing life, Alexander had logged all of one inning in left.
In the eighth, Alexander leaped at the wall and robbed Alex Bregman of a home run.
Beeks, who was on the mound at the time, tipped his hat in appreciation and after the game marveled at Alexander’s athleticism.
“Obviously awesome, going to be top 10 [play] for a while,” Beeks said. “So, from my perspective, very thankful. Better than giving up a home run, but just an awesome play. He's just an awesome player, and he's got a lot of confidence right now, and looks like he's doing pretty well everywhere he plays.”
As the Diamondbacks continue to win games, the possibility of making the playoff race interesting has started to feel more real for observers, but Beeks said that’s not a new thing in the clubhouse.
“I think it’s been real for us the whole time,” he said. “I mean, I know we got back to, what, 8 1/2 games back at one point, or something like that, but we were always like, ‘Man, look around, we got a lot of good players in here.’”
Alexander said he wasn’t sure what the standings were, but he does know what the team’s record is.
“I know we're over .500 now, and that's freaking awesome,” he said. “So let's keep rolling. Let’s separate that gap and let's see where we can end up in these next 19 [games].”