Bickley: D-backs reaffirm status as World Series contenders

Two-game series are not normal in Major League Baseball. They’re more like hiccups, blips, incomplete sentences.

But these past two games against the Rangers have done a world of good in the Valley. 

After a 14-4 victory on Wednesday, the Diamondbacks have reaffirmed their status as World Series contenders, even if their playoff hopes are still in jeopardy.

They were dominant on command against a lesser team, as necessary, after dropping three of their four previous series. They scored 10 or more runs for the 19th time this season. 

The Diamondbacks are also getting healthy at the right time, welcoming back Christian Walker and Ketel Marte. Both sluggers clearly found their rhythm and their power against the Rangers, and when Gabriel Moreno returns, the Diamondbacks will no longer be easy prey for base stealers and left-handed starting pitchers. 

With a full roster, they will also display the sparkling depth assembled by General Manager Mike Hazen. To wit: 

A great team always presents heavy questions to its fan base. Such as, who is your favorite player?  

In Arizona, that answer might range from Marte to Corbin Carroll, from Walker to Moreno, from Eugenio Suarez to Joc Pederson to Geraldo Perdomo.

Just like the Avengers or the Guardians of the Galaxy, a diverse cast of heroes makes for an irresistible team, one that will capture your attention immediately. Even the debate over the most underrated player in Arizona would rage on local barstools. Randal Grichuk? Kevin Newman? Ryan Thompson? Adrian Del Castillo? 

“Something special is happening here from an offensive standpoint,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters after the game. 

But the most comforting development is the return of Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly as dueling aces. After a prolonged struggle with control and mediocrity, Gallen has stacked excellent starts. Kelly has looked extremely sharp in his past two outings, even though Wednesday’s start was cut short with another apparent bout of cramping, succumbing once again to the hotbox of Chase Field. 

The cramping issues that continue to plague Kelly, along with Jordan Montgomery’s epic struggles pitching inside Chase Field, are larger issues that demand attention. But if Kelly is OK, the Diamondbacks have all they need to win the World Series. Because once the playoffs begin, every series is a two-game series. And if you have two elite aces in your dugout, you have the fast lane to a championship. 

We witnessed as much in 2001, when the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees in seven games, mostly on the gravitas of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. Lay a couple of aces on the table, and you likely have the winning hand. No matter how high the stakes. 

Reach Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta mornings from 6–10 a.m. on Arizona Sports.

Follow @danbickley