It's been a while -- a long while -- since the Diamondbacks did anything on the field to earn much praise.
They've won a few games here or there and they managed to win a series from time to time. But the three-game sweep over the +.500 Mets -- capped off by last night's 14-inning victory -- was a real sign of hope in an otherwise bleak season.
"They played like a very good team today," manager Kirk Gibson said after the marathon match. He's right.
Young gun Justin Upton continues to blast the ball as he's done at a .414 clip over the past seven games and went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two walks in the sweep-clincher. He was clutch late with the lead-off double in the 14th inning that turned into the walk-off run. Zero strikeouts.
Other guys like Rusty Ryal (season-high four hit game) and Chris Synder (a pinch-hit rocket to win the game) played well, but the real hero of this game was the D-backs bullpen.
Yup, those guys who've been rightly slammed for their letting their team down on more occasions than we care to count.
The pen - and it was all of them, except Qualls and Noberto -- went eight innings, giving up only one hit and three walks while punching out eight Mets hitters.
Gibby gives them credit for putting in extra work, "I think they're better prepared and they have more confidence."
Hopefully, some of that confidence will carry over from last night's game.
The D-backs are in a deep hole for this season, but this team needs to get its act together and finish strong. It's important for management to know what it has on the roster for next year and it's important to give the loyal fans some hope of seeing a win if they are going to invest three hours a day watching a game.
With the Giants in town for a four-game series, it's time to embrace the role of spoiler and to do that, the Snakes need to keep winning.