The Arizona Diamondbacks have a chance to enjoy a rare Sunday off Aug. 30, on the heels of four games in three days in San Francisco.
Come Monday, Aug. 31, the race for a National League wild-card spot continues when Arizona — possibly highlighted by the return of mercurial star Ketel Marte — opens a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field. After a day off on Sept. 3, the Diamondbacks head to Houston to face the Astros, a team firmly in the fight for first place in the American League West.
Entering play Aug. 27, the Phillies held the second NL wild-card spot by two games over the San Diego Padres and by three games over the Diamondbacks.
The Diamondbacks have been doing some scoreboard watching of the Padres' and Phillies'
recent results. Now they get the Phillies head-to-head.
Philadelphia is led by first baseman-turned outfielder Bryce Harper, who had 27 home runs and 77 runs batted in entering Friday's game at the Los Angeles Angels. Leadoff man and slugger Kyle Schwarber led the majors in home runs with 40 as of that day.
Trade deadline newcomer Luis Arraez has made a difference, and the Phillies pitching staff has three starters with 10 or more wins, including NL Cy Young candidate Cristopher Sanchez.
On Aug. 26, the Astros were the only team in the American League West with a .500 record. The Astros on Monday, Aug. 24, parted ways with general manager Dana Brown, and a report surfaced that manager Joe Espada would have his status reviewed at season's end.
Slugger Yordan Alvarez has a real chance for the AL Triple Crown, leading or tied for the lead in home runs, RBI and batting average entering Aug. 26. Former Diamondbacks infielder Christian Walker will be facing his old team with some motivation.
Game times for the Phillies series are 6:40 p.m. Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, and 12:40 p.m on Sept. 2. At Houston, game times are 5:10 p.m. MST on Sept. 4, 4:15 p.m on Sept. 5, and 11:10 a.m. on Sept. 6.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks' week sees Phillies and maybe Ketel Marte's return
