Can Perspective Lead to Optimism for the D-backs and their Fans?

During Easter Sunday dinner preparation time, my five-year-old grandson was being his usually-energetic self, running around the house, very excited to be around all the commotion of a family gathering. After several attempts to get him to calm down and stop running, his father put him in a timeout in the corner.

While my son was busy carving the ham, and side dishes were being prepared, the minutes ticked by. Grandpa noticed the forlorn little boy sitting quietly, head down, chin resting on his hands. I asked him if he was ok, and he sadly said, "I've been here forever, I'm never getting out!" It had been all of about three or four minutes, but to him, it must have felt like half an hour.

Such is the perspective of time. It can be that way with a baseball season too. The team results in a small sample, and the statistics we use to measure player performance, have an outsized effect on our perceptions of what's happening on the field.

A week in April, filled with mostly lost games and poor performance is much harder to put in perspective when we're only four weeks into a 26-week regular season. That doesn't stop us from trying to do so however. We just need to keep reminding ourselves that the season is less than 20% completed and things can shift rapidly, for the better or worse.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, and have lost five of their last seven games. Their record however is still above .500 at 14-12, and their run differential is +11.

There are legitimate questions surrounding the play of the team, and whether they will stay above .500 for much longer. But things can change quickly. If they can turn around and win the next couple of games, the entire tone and sense of gloom and doom can lift.

The upcoming schedule looks tough. They have two more games with the Atlanta Braves, who just walloped them 8-2 on Friday night. Then they head out on the road to play the Mets and Phillies. Following that they come home to play the Mets again and then the Dodgers for four at Chase Field.

Then they head out to play the Giants for three in San Francisco, have a brief respite with three at home against the lowly Rockies, and right back out on the road for three against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. It's a 25-game stretch that at first glance, looks daunting.

Here is what that looks like in table form. When examining this way, while still difficult, there are some reasons for optimism.

Diamondbacks Upcoming Schedule | Jack Sommers

The weighted average record of the teams the D-backs are to face (by number of games against them on the schedule) is the same as Arizona's. The average run differential is actually slightly lower, at just +5, compared to the D-backs +11.

When this stretch is completed, the D-backs will be 51 games into their season. Even if they just go 12-13 over these 25 games, they would still complete this stretch one game over .500 at 26-25.

The Diamondbacks will get Ketel Marte back within the next week to ten days. While not pitching to their top forms, the top five starters have made all their starts through five-plus turns through the rotation. If they continue to do that, the D-backs will end up with more Quality Starts than most teams.

Surely the loss of A.J. Puk for what looks like an extended period of time in a best case scenario is a major concern. But there have been some promising arms added to the bullpen, and once Justin Martinez is back to full go from his shoulder fatigue, the relievers' roles and performance should stabilize.

There are some slumping veterans, such as Eugenio Suarez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and the signs under the hood are legitimately concerning (more on that another day). But these players have shown us that they are more than capable of getting hot and going on a run, and so we wait.

If they don't, there is depth behind them knocking on the door. Top prospect Jordan Lawlar is crushing the ball in Triple-A Reno, and might just get his chance sooner rather than later. Jake McCarthy is not pouting in Reno after his demotion. He's hitting .500 through his first three games. 23-year-old corner outfielder A.J. Vukovich is hitting .339 with five homers and a 1.019 OPS through 14 games.

There is a very long way to go in the Diamondbacks season, and there will surely be many ups and downs. Perhaps a week from now I'll be writing a completely different Saturday reflection article. But for now, I'll try to remember that we haven't been sitting in the corner for very long. After all, just four days ago the team was 14-9 and things looked pretty good. Things might flip back around to the positive just as quickly as they soured. Stay tuned.

Can Perspective Lead to Optimism for the D-backs and their Fans?

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