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The Arizona Diamondbacks entered Monday's play at 66-69, 10 1/2 games out of first place in the NL West. They were also 6 1/2 games out of the last wild-card spot in the NL.
That's obviously bad news for Diamondbacks fans, and certainly not where the team wanted to be at this point. As September rolls along, it seems only inevitable that mathematical elimination will come. But there is one small glimmer of hope: The D-backs play 24 of their final 27 games against division opponents, and if they can somehow get on a hot streak, they still have a chance to make things interesting.
Starting with Monday's series opener in San Francisco, Arizona nine games left with the Giants. They have only two left against the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers and six with their nemesis of 2012, the San Diego Padres. The Padres go to Chase Field Sept. 18-20 having won the last six games there.
For all things Diamondbacks, head over to AZ Snakepit.