Can Diamondbacks stay hot enough to reach playoffs?

After going 0-4 in July, starter Eduardo Rodriguez picked up his second win of August thanks to one of his best performances of the year. Rodriguez struck out six batters and allowed only one run in seven innings of work on the mound. 

But even though Arizona has benefited from better pitching recently, it has been winning thanks to a potent offense. The Diamondbacks have now posted six or more runs in six of seven games heading into Friday's contest in Colorado.  

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. became Thursday's hero, crushing a three-run blast for his 15th home run.

Now 60-62, Arizona still sits two games below .500, making it likely that the Diamondbacks' recent improved play still might be too little, too late to make it enough to unlock the possibility of an October run. 

Part of the problem stems from looking up at both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the current division-leading San Diego Padres in the National League West. The Dodgers and Padres are only separated by one game, but the Diamondbacks are 9.5 back themselves. 

Arizona even lost two out of three to San Diego earlier in the month before its latest hot streak. 

Wild card-wise, the Diamondbacks are 4.5 behind in a crowded race for postseason positioning. If the regular season ended right now, the Chicago Cubs, Dodgers and New York Mets would make it as the three wild-card teams. 

Behind those teams, the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds are also ahead of Arizona. 

So while the odds are stacked against the Diamondbacks, they now are starting to figure out the team's true potential. Arizona fans may even be remembering the team's late-season sprint to the playoffs that led to capturing the National League pennant and the franchise's second trip to the World Series just two years ago. 

One opportunity for the Diamondbacks to move closer to a playoff spot, at least in the wild-card race, will be when they host the Reds in a three-game series from Aug. 22-24.