Close, but not close enough. We'll need to take the next two to get first place- we'll see if Joe Saunders can help out tonight for that.

Recaps:

• [FS Arizona] D-backs fall short against Giants - We fought back after being down five, but that extra insurance run from the Giants proved to be too much.

• [DBacks.com] D-backs can't close gap despite comeback - As Gibby said, "We had an opportunity to win the game. We were just unable to get the big hit."

• [AZ Central] San Francisco Giants hold off Arizona Diamondacks to keep NL West lead - The DBacks are 22-15 in one or two-run games- but they're only 1-5 in those games against the Giants.

• [SFGate] With Pablo Sandoval back, SF Giants have just enough offense - "There is nothing calm about a game against the Diamondbacks these days." Hey, it's nice to know we're making our presence known.

DBacks News:

• [FS Arizona] Bloomquist escapes wreck with minor injuries - Mora in March and now Bloomquist? The roads are a dangerous place for our players, apparently.

• [AZ Central] Arizona Diamondbacks move to AL West would hurt fans - We're still building up the fanbase. Shifting gears and rivalries all of the sudden wouldn't help.

• [DBacks Venom] Will Diamondbacks 1st Round Picks Trevor Bauer and Archie Bradley Expect Major League Contracts? - Well, we've got room on the 40 man roster, right? I agree with Amit here- I wouldn't object to giving Bauer a major league contract, but Bradley's still too young for it, I think.

• [DBacks.com] D-backs' 15-2 run has them poised to contend in tough NL West - Hey, we're in a pennant race. Weird.

• [FootBasket] NFL Labor Situation Featuring Justin Upton, Roger Goodell, and Aldon Smith - Somewhat off-topic, but I thought the story about some of our players was cute.

• [Reno Gazette-Journal] Aces faced with mounting injuries - The DBacks have been relatively lucky with injuries this year, but the same can't be said for our AAA team.

Around Baseball:

• [Baseball Nation] Are Giants Good ... Or Just Really Lucky? - The Giants are sitting well above .500, despite having given up more runs than they've scored. We know how this argument goes.

• [Hardball Times] 11 random observations about 2011 - Just a few random stats about the year so far.

• [ESPN Chicago] Report: Prince Fielder won't rule out playing for Chicago Cubs - In other news, sales of Prince Fielder jerseys in Milwaukee have abruptly dropped off.

• [MLB.com] Tight division races could lead to close, exciting finishes - Are we looking at the closest races since baseball started the Wild Card? No one leads their division by more than 3.5 games, and only four teams are more than 10 games out. It could be an interesting year.

• [SI.com] Yankees made right decision by putting Derek Jeter on DL - What?!? If Jeter is on the DL, why are we even still playing baseball? Shut down the league until we can get him back!

• [Big League Stew] David Einhorn could buy a majority of the Mets for just $1 - Okay, explain to me again why MLB was cool with this deal, but they had to step in with the Dodgers?