Less than a week ago, the Diamondbacks possessed a .500 record and were in second place in the NL West, only 4.5 games back. Are they really in contention? Or is it an illusion of the schedule?
It is that time of the season where speculation mounts as to whether or not a team should sell itself on the idea that it is in contention for the playoffs, that decision paving the way for further decisions to be made at the non-waiver trade deadline, which is coming up in 16 days. This year, the Diamondbacks have surprised a great many people.