Arizona Diamondbacks playing, feeling like playoff contenders

CINCINNATI – The music was loud, the mood was upbeat and the Diamondbacks were actively following the proceedings of the teams above them in the standings, the sort of behavior generally reserved for clubs actively involved in the playoff race.

Which, believe it or not, the Diamondbacks pretty much are. A week away from September, more than 120 games into a six-month season, the Diamondbacks can call themselves a winning team again.

After beating the Cincinnati Reds 4-0 on Sunday afternoon, they moved above .500, at 62-61, for the first time since April 22, when they were 8-7. There was a sense in the visitors’ clubhouse at Great American Ball Park that they were starting to put things together -- and that people were starting to notice.

“(The Reds’ Brayan) Pena, the catcher, told me, ‘Hey, your team plays really hard, I like it,’” Diamondbacks catcher Welington Castillo said. “Everybody runs hard and plays hard. That’s the way that you start a good team. That’s good to hear from the other guys.”

BOX SCORE: Diamondbacks 4, Reds 0 | MLB standings | MLB stats

The Reds are a struggling team, a club that hasn’t started a non-rookie pitcher since July 28. But the Diamondbacks did what a contending club ought to do against a team like the Reds. They walloped them.

The Diamondbacks came back from a 4-0 deficit on Thursday, beat the Reds fairly soundly on Friday and Saturday and then finished them off on Sunday, getting a bounceback start from the un-demoted Chase Anderson and supporting him with home runs by Castillo and slugger David Peralta.

And so after months of flirting with the .500 mark, the Diamondbacks finally moved past it.

“It’s a big deal,” outfielder Ender Inciarte said. “After losing so many games when were (close to) .500, I don’t know if it was just me, but I was thinking, ‘We’ve got to win today no matter what.’

“I love the way we play. We’re a different team. When you see other teams, you don’t see them hustling the way we do or playing as hard as we do. We really want to make it to the playoffs and you can tell that everybody is on the same page. We are fun to watch. I enjoy watching my teammates play.”

Said first baseman Paul Goldschmidt: “It means something if we keep playing well. If we don’t keep playing well, then it doesn’t mean that much. The goal isn’t to be .500 or one above, it’s to try to find a way to get to the playoffs. I don’t know how many games we are back, but we’re moving in the right direction. We just have to try to keep it going.”

It made the action in Houston, where the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers were facing the Astros, something for the Diamondbacks to monitor late Sunday afternoon. They already were on their way to the airport when the Dodgers lost in extra innings, allowing the Diamondbacks to move within five games of first place, the closest they’ve been since July 8.

They’ll be tested this week when the St. Louis Cardinals, owners of the best record in the National League, visit Chase Field for a four-game set. The Diamondbacks also have games remaining against several other contending teams, including the Dodgers (seven games), Giants (six), Cubs (three) and Astros (three).

“If we are going to make it, we want to do it against those teams,” closer Brad Ziegler said. “And if we’re not, then it’s a good gauge for us to see where we’re at and see how far we have to go to get there. It’ll be a good test for us, for sure.”

Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.

Monday's game

Cardinals at Diamondbacks

When: 7:10 p.m.

Where: Chase Field (Roof hotline: 602-462-6262).

Pitchers: Diamondbacks LHP Robbie Ray (3-9, 3.38) vs. Cardinals RHP Lance Lynn (3-4, 4.21).

TV/Radio: FSAZ/KMVP-FM (98.7), KSUN-AM (1400).

Ray hasn’t been as effective in recent starts as he was early in the season for the Diamondbacks. In his past six outings, he has a 5.18 ERA. He has walked 15 in 33 innings in that stretch; he walked 12 in 55 innings prior to that. … Ray has also struggled against right-handed hitters in those six starts, allowing a .329/.422/.529 slash line against them. They hit .228/.283/.365 off him earlier in the year. … Lynn gave up two runs in 6 2/3 innings in his most recent start, bouncing back from a brutal Aug. 13 outing vs. Pittsburgh in which he gave up seven runs (three earned) in just 2/3 of an inning. … In 37 career innings against the Diamondbacks, he has a 2.68 ERA.

Coming up

Tuesday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Patrick Corbin (3-3, 4.09) vs. Cardinals LHP Jaime Garcia (5-4, 1.79).

Wednesday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Rubby De La Rosa (11-5, 4.32) vs. Cardinals RHP John Lackey (10-8, 2.99).

Thursday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Randall Delgado (4-3, 3.27) vs. Cardinals RHP Carlos Martinez (12-6, 2.85).

Up next

St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals update: As they do most years, the Cardinals are having a strong season. They own the best record in the National League and have a 3 1/2 game lead on the Pittsburgh Pirates for first place in the NL Central. They’ve suffered numerous injuries this season – including to RHP Adam Wainwright, 1B Matt Adams and LF Matt Holliday, among others – but continue to roll toward the postseason. 3B Matt Carpenter is having a solid year, hitting .262 with an .823 OPS, and SS Jhonny Peralta is hitting .284 with 16 homers. But the pitching staff has been the story of the Cardinals’ success. They have a 2.68 ERA as a team, which includes a 2.84 ERA out of the rotation and a 2.34 ERA from the bullpen.

Photos from the Diamondbacks-Reds series: