While the current baseball season may be lost, there are few segments still salvageable.
That may include pride and perhaps an opportunity to pad some statistics. In recent weeks, the Diamondbacks have shown elements of life, and hope to forge some emotion into themselves and their fans by the time of the final curtain call early next month.
Though buried in the basement of the National League West Division for the summer, the life support monitor shows an occasional beep. There appears some activity other than that flat line witnessed since Opening Day. To be fair, a slight measure of success can be detected, but it's called "progress" nonetheless.
Players point to a changed attitude and an understanding what they are dong now that, they hope, will carry into 2011.
"This is the way we want to play," said outfielder Justin Upton prior to Saturday's game with Houston at Chase Field. " Earlier this season, we were not clicking and now things are going better. Pitching and the bullpen have come around and now we're clicking,"
For the month of August, the D-Backs turned in a record of 16-13, their first winning month since August, 2009. In September, things continue at a favorable pace. They won the first two games in September and have inched to within 11 games of the .500 mark and that's despite Saturday's 6-5 loss to Houston before 31,605 at Chase Field.
To address the turnaround, however slight, the Diamondbacks are taking small, perhaps unnoticeable steps. Unlike changes in a pitcher's mechanics, adjustments in batting style or approach to hitting, these changes are subtle and deal more on a professional level.
"If you stride to be humble, good things follow." said Kirk Gibson, the D-Backs manager. "We're doing things we need to do before games. When the game does start, we're ready from the first inning."
Since taking over for the fired A, J, Hinch on July 1, Gibson installed a greater sense of discipline. He doesn't ask or demand but quietly tells players what he currently does or did as a player. So far, that seems to work.
Gibson asked that all cell phones, iPads, and laptops be turned off and remain off from the time the team hits the field to stretch and partake in batting practice until the end of the game. He encourages better relations with the media and makes a point himself, and the team joins him, to lineup in from of the dugout before each game for the National Anthem. Now in September, football on clubhouse TVs is banned from stretch time until the end of the game that day.
Another reason for recent success is a different players seem to get an important hits at critical times. Good teams tend to have contributions from multiple players at diferent times, and the Diamondbacks, in recent games, demonstrated that factor.
In a recent three game period, different personnel, stepping forard, supported the theory.
In a 7-4 win over San Diego Aug. 31, Brandon Allen drilled a grand slam to power that victory. In the next game, Augie Ojeda's sacrifice fly in the eight inning gave the D-Backs a 4-3 win over Houston. And, in the third game in this stretch, Ryan Roberts' three run bomb in the fifth inning off the Astros' Bud Norris gave Arizona a lead that reliever Aaron Heilman eventually blew and lost the game.
Still, the team is striding toward a much better finish than its pitiful beginning.
"We owe our efforts to the game of baseball," Gibson added. "Right now, we're smarter, and guys are working hard. We want to get to the point where the best team on the field wins."
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