There is some exciting baseball back in the desert as the month of August starts to come to a close. The Arizona Diamondbacks have started to play good baseball again and are back in the mix to reach the postseason.
Odds All Over the Place
The odds for the Diamondbacks to reach the postseason have been all over the place. At the beginning of the season, of course, Arizona was a big underdog, and many wondered if they would be at the bottom of the division. Of course, the Colorado Rockies took care of that role. Arizona was listed in some books at +475 to make the playoffs on Opening Day.
Then, with the hot start, you could actually even grab the Diamondbacks to make the playoffs at -150. Some graphs had them at 68% to reach the postseason at the end of May. Then, the All-Star Break and the collapse hit, and Arizona was all the way back down to +325 to make the playoffs.
Is the Time Now?
But we are here to ask the question: is NOW the time to bet the Arizona Diamondbacks to reach the MLB Playoffs in 2023? The current market shows Arizona at +145 for YES to make the playoffs and -165 to NO on making the playoffs. Arizona has a playoff chance of around 40% currently.
As of Tuesday, August 22nd – the Diamondbacks sat at 65-61 on the season. Their divisional odds are nearly impossible now that the Los Angeles Dodgers have surged to wins in 9 out of their last ten games.
In fact, the Dodgers in the month of August have won 17 out of 19 games. No one in the National League West is catching the Dodgers.
The Diamondbacks may have the best chance, as they are playing the second-best baseball with wins in 8 out of their last 10. Arizona has moved to just ½ game behind the Giants for second place.
Wildcard Mania
That’s where the wildcard comes into play. Keep in mind Major League Baseball has allowed the league to have three wildcard teams. So three divisional champions, which will be Atlanta, the Dodgers, and likely Milwaukee.
That leaves three more teams to reach the wildcard. As of play on Tuesday, August 22nd, Arizona sat in fourth place in the wildcard standings.
While four place does not seem all that appealing, with three teams reaching the best of three series, let’s see how bunched these standings are:
- Philadelphia Phillies 68-57 –
- Chicago Cubs 65-59 2.5
- San Francisco Giants 65-60 3
- Arizona Diamondbacks 65-61 3.5
- Cincinnati Reds 64-61 4
- Miami Marlins 64-62 4.5
Arizona actually sits just ½ game behind the Giants for that final spot. In fact, Arizona is just a single game behind the Cubs for the second spot. The top wildcard spot would host the best of three series, so that’s the goal for Arizona, and it’s within reach.
So, you are Saying There is a Chance?
Why is now the time to bet on the Diamondbacks to reach the postseason?
They are playing great baseball, with eight wins in ten games. In those ten games, they are allowing just 3.8 runs per game.
Tommy Pham has been red hot for Arizona since coming to town. Pham is on an 11-game hitting streak. He has six runs batted in over his last five games and has reached base every game but two since coming over from the Mets.
Zac Gallen looks like CY Young. While this has not really changed, his home ERA has dipped, and he looks to be on pace to make another four starts at home after Tuesday’s outing.
Gabriel Moreno seems to be turning a corner into a solid MLB hitter that Arizona has needed. The 23 has struggled at times and been hurt at other times. But, lately, he seems to be turning a corner. His grand slam Saturday was huge, and he drove in five in the game.
In seven games this month, he has seven runs batted in and is hitting just shy of .300. A big bat from the catcher for the Diamondbacks would be a huge lift.
So, while there is plenty of baseball to be played, it’s fun to talk about Diamondbacks baseball potentially heading into October as we enter the final days of August. Consider taking Arizona to make the playoffs now before you can’t get them for the odds they are now. Go Diamondbacks!
