Bryce Harper took Phillies latest setback to Diamondbacks as a warning

No team has won more games since Major League Baseball resumed play following the All-Star break than the Arizona Diamondbacks. Their performance matches the blistering heat in Phoenix, where temperatures will soar to around 109 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday.

This past weekend, the defending National League champions took three of four from the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies, combing to score 26 runs in the last three triumphs at Chase Field.

Arizona's 142 runs since the break are 13 more than the next highest-scoring team in MLB over this stretch, the Baltimore Orioles. Four players have recorded an OPS over .900 since the July series in the Windy City against the Cubs, including trade deadline acquisition Josh Bell, who was added for some insurance following the oblique injury to Christian Walker.

The 31-year-old two-time National League Most Valuable Player, Bryce Harper is taking this latest series defeat to the Snakes as a note of caution with the postseason now just 50 days away.

"They ain't scared," said Harper after a 12-5 defeat in the series finale. "They go about it the right way, they play the game hard. They've got guys that walk, guys that hit, good pitching, good bullpen. They're a good team. They're gonna show up and play the game the right way and they're gonna win a lot of games because of that."

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Bryce Harper's Phillies could very well meet the Diamondbacks sometime in October

Currently, Arizona is in a tie with the San Diego Padres for the National League's top Wild Card spot, each possessing a 66-53 record. There isn't a doubt about whether or not this ball club is a threat or not. I don't know how many people would have thought that on July 2 when Torey Lovullo's team was 41-44 and 11.5 games back of the leader in the NL West.

The D-Backs now head into a series against the 44-win Colorado Rockies having won two straight series against teams at the top of their respective divisions.

If the season were to end today, they'd be in that 4-seed vs. 5-seed matchup, with the winner playing the league's No. 1 seed in the NLDS. So, in theory, we could get a rematch of the NLCS in the NLDS this season if the cards do end up falling that way.

After three straight defeats to the outfit from Phoenix, the Fightin' Phils drop the season series to Arizona, with a 3-4 record.

Harper and the Phillies have struggled with consistency since the All-Star break, going 4-6 on the club's longest road trip of the campaign. If you look at the past 22 games, they've posted a disappointing 5.07 ERA while batting a modest .241. However, there's a silver lining: according to Tankathon, Philadelphia faces the sixth-easiest remaining schedule in MLB.

"Not playing the way we need to be playing right now," Harper said. "Just gotta get home, flush this road trip, take the good things that we can and get ready for Tuesday."

Before Philadelphia travels to Atlanta on August 20 for a massive series against the Braves, it will see the two ball clubs that make up the basement of the NL East — the Miami Marlins and the Washington Nationals.