D'backs now six games behind the Dodgers

When the players on the Arizona Diamondbacks pick up the Arizona Republic's sports page in the morning, they'll find themselves six games behind the LA Dodgers in the NL West.

Most of the D'backs will undoubtedly shake their heads while they sip on their morning coffee and devour a plate of bacon and eggs. Not a great way to start the day.

They will find out rather quickly that the Dodgers won Monday night 3-2 over the St. Louis Cardinals and in doing so extended their consecutive road wins to 15 games. The Dodgers have now won 32 of their last 39 games -- no wonder they have gone from a mediocre team to 13 games above the .500 mark at 62-49.

Of course, the Dodgers' BIG payroll has probably had a lot to do with their recent success. But a few months ago those high-price players weren't producing...and now they are.

As for the Diamondbacks, they aren't hitting and unless they get hot during their current homestand, which gets underway tomorrow night against the Tampa Bay Rays, well, you might as well kiss the season goodbye. At 56-55, Arizona has 51 games left in the regular season and they just may need to go 40-11 in order to catch the high-flying Dodgers.

The D'backs are under the gun and manager Kirk Gibson has little room for error as he makes his moves down the stretch. Of course, Gibson stands nervously in the dugout...his playing days are over. It is not all on the manager's shoulders...the players need to produce. Paul Goldschmidt (26 home runs, 89 RBI) has carried them most of the season, but it's time for the balance of the lineup to put up the big numbers.

Of course, Goldschmidt can't go away and hide, either. He must continue doing his thing at the plate -- he needs to knock in runs in bunches -- not just a solo shot every five days, but more like powerhouse shots to the rafters with runners on the base paths.

As for the Diamondbacks' pitching staff, well it looks like the youngsters -- Patrick Corbin and Randall Delgado need to continue to do their thing, while Brandon McCarthy, Wade Miley and newcomer Joe Thatcher need to step it up a notch. As for the relievers -- no more giveaways. Heath Bell, Will Harris, J.J. Putz and Brad Ziegler need to flat out close the door at crunch time.

All of the above is easier said than done.

And if the Dodgers continue to blow away their opponents at home and away, well that six game lead may turn into a dozen and the Diamondbacks will wave the white flag long before the Labor Day Weekend.

Go get 'em, D'backs. This Diamondbacks fan is still behind you.