Preview, #134: 8/30 @ Dodgers

Mrs. S and I are off to Lost 80’s Live at the Comerica Theater tonight, for a musical time machine trip. Playing will be A Flock of Seagulls (above), Wang Chung, Bow Wow Wow, Missing Persons and Animotion. Kids! Ask your parents! No, really... [Men Without Hats should have been there, but they had to cancel.] Should be an evening of prime new wave cheese. Mind you - /enters old man mode - that era of music is still a damn sight better than the music of today. Not least because when songs from that period play at work, the guy two desks over doesn’t sing along as he usually does. No, dammit, please stop: This is not a freakin’ karaoke bar. And do not even get me started talking about the office drummer...

Coming back ofIt has been a struggle for the D-backs offense of late. They have scored only 28 runs over the last nine games, and have been held to an opposing OPS of .656 in that time. That Arizona still has a 5-4 record over that time is largely down to their pitching staff, who have allowed 24 runs, with a 2.46 ERA. The absence of clutch was particularly notable during the series in San Francisco, where they batted .143 (3-for-21) with runners in scoring position. Ever the optimist, I like to think the hitters have purged that all out of their system now, and are therefore primed for an offensive breakout over the next four games. We can but hope that’s the case, anyway.

With less than 30 games to go, the D-backs still hold onto the slimmest of leads in the National League West, one-half game up on the Rockies, with the Dodgers another half-game further back. At the same time as this contest gets under way, Colorado will begin play in San Francisco, so by the end of the night, there are four possible scenarios, depending on how things unfold. In descending order of desirability, the D-backs could be:

• 1¹⁄₂ games up on the Rockies and 2 on the Dodgers [we win, COL lose]
• ¹⁄₂ game up on the Rockies, 2 on the Dodgers [we win, COL wins]
• Tied with the Dodgers for first, ¹⁄₂ game up on the Rockies [we lose, COL lose]
• Tied with the Dodgers for second, ¹⁄₂ game back of the Rockies [we lose, COL wins]

It’s going to be the way for the next few days, as the D-backs go through what’s likely the most important series of the season to date. The slight edge we have does mean that a split of these four games is probably a win for the D-backs, especially on the road. It’ll keep the Dodgers exactly where they are, with four fewer games left on the schedule. But we could end up anywhere between five games up and three games back of Los Angeles, with Colorado doing whatever they do in San Diego. Still, it will just be damn nice to be playing significant baseball games in September for the second year in a row. Been a while..