It was not too long ago they were being talked about as the best team in the NL, and now they are barely hanging onto the lead in the West and at .500

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Every team has there ups and downs. They'll probably make a move that they need and stay above .500 into the playoffs. (PLAYOFFS!???!)

The Diamondbacks seemed like the team to beat in the National League during the first month or two of this season. They play in a pisspoor N.L. West. Something tells me that the D-Backs & the Dodgers will make a move or two before the trading deadline, but Arizona will win the division at the end.

Perhaps its because of Chris Synder's testicular fracture?

Seriously though, they are still offensively challenged as they were last year. Byrnes is out, possibly for a bit of time. They have great pitching, but they cant pitch shutouts every night. I see them getting another bat and squeaking by the dodgers as well.

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They went from 17 games above .500 to under .500 in less than half a season. Those are some serious swings.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

They're schizophrenic...

The Diamondbacks won big today 10-4 at Philadelphia. Arizona will likely have to go the rest of the way minus Eric Byrnes. Their left fielder is currently on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring, but D-backs officials seem resigned to the likelihood that Eric's injury will sideline him the rest of the season, according to the Arizona Republic. It's a shame to a certain extent, because FOX Sports & FOX Sports Net seem to like Eric's personality off the field. Byrnes has sat in with the guys on "The Best Damn Sports Show Period", both in the Hollywood studio & at the ballpark as a frequent guest. He's also been featured prominently on FOX's "Saturday Baseball" pregame show.

Last year, I believe they had a relatively poor runs-scored vs. runs-allowed ratio given their winning percentage. That's an indicator that they got a little lucky as to when their runs came, and this year they are likely playing more to their level.


Edit: just checked:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL_2007.shtml

2007, Arizona scored only 0.97 runs per 1 run allowed, yet were 90-72.
They should have been a game or 2 under .500, but their runs came in the right places.

2008, Arizona is scoring 1.01 runs per 1 run allowed. So they are performing better, but they should be just about exactly at .500.

...not enough games against the Pirates I guess.

Hey slick, I thought the Sox was going to have the best record in Chicago going into the break?

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

You can put it on the board....YES!

Could say the same about the Rays. I'm going to guess the Rays keep sinking, unless they make a big trade. It was nice while it lasted.

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Fuck Edwards and Zobrist

The Tampa Bay Rays have literally hit the wall. They can't seem to hit a lick right now, and their pitching seems to have hit a rough spot vs. the Yankees & Indians, both on the road. Their All-Star Break couldn't have come fast enough!