PHOENIX — If you can ignore the fact that the Diamondbacks lost 5 of 6 games heading into the All-Star break and are 3-8 since hitting their high-water mark of 50-28 on June 27, there are plenty of big-picture reasons to remain upbeat.
Their cushion is thinner, but at 53-36 they still have the third-best record in the major leagues. And while they’ve fallen 7 ½ games behind the Dodgers in the NL West, they are comfortably positioned in the wild-card race — 2 games ahead of Colorado for the first wild-card position and 9 ½ up on the Cubs and Cardinals for the second spot.