The Arizona Diamondbacks' three-game losing streak puts things into perspective in a tight National League Wild Card race.
It's hard to count out the Arizona Diamondbacks as they're only two games out of a Wild Card spot, but with the way they've looked recently, it's also easy to see that the writing could be on the wall.
This team's pitching staff simply hasn't been good enough to overcome their offense, or lack thereof.
Now, if Ketel Marte were truly injured and out for quite some time, one could only imagine what that would do to this squad.
There are currently seven teams within 6.5 games of a Wild Card spot, and the D-backs have the worst run differential among all of them.
When it comes down to it, +3 simply isn't going to cut it, and while there's still quite a bit of baseball left to be played, Arizona's three-game losing streak only makes things worse, as their 4-6 record is the worst in a 10-game stretch against the rest of those other six contenders.
The final Wild Card spot could come down to the Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres
Currently, the San Diego Padres have a two-game lead on the Diamondbacks for that third and final Wild Card spot. Knowing those two teams are both in the National League West, not only is the season tiebreaker crucial, but it's vital to know that those two teams play each other in their final three games of the year.
The D-backs and Padres just split a four-game series from Aug. 3-6. Prior to that, they split another four-game slate from July 6-9, and split a pair of games in Mexico on April 25-26.
Clearly, these two teams are as evenly matched as it gets. Their three-game series from Sept. 25-27 could decide everything as long as other teams don't get hot.
Who is the Diamondbacks' biggest competition?
Sitting at 66-61 would give the D-backs a strong cushion in the AL, but sadly, they're stuck in the NL West. The NL is far more competitive than what's going on in the AL, and that is something that doesn't work in Arizona's favor.
When looking at the Wild Card race, the St. Louis Cardinals are only a game behind the Diamondbacks while the Miami Marlins are two games back. The Pittsburgh Pirates are also part of the aforementioned seven-team battle, but both the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals are still within eight games of the Padres spot.
Of those teams mentioned, Arizona will host the Reds from Aug. 21-23 and then the Marlins come to town from Sept. 14-16.
