Diamondbacks jump up the power rankings after sweeping a division rival

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The Arizona Diamondbacks are doing their best to stay in the thick of things. They have some serious work to do to catch the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they sit just 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot.

The pitching staff has looked much better with the return of Brandon Pfaadt, who has won his last three starts since returning from Triple-A, while the offense is doing enough to squeeze out wins.

With a tough schedule going into the All-Star break, they could have flopped, but they were able to handle business, going into the break with a lot of momentum.

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Diamondbacks jump up the power rankings after sweeping a division rival

The Diamondbacks played not only one, but two division rivals last week. They took on the San Diego Padres before taking on the Dodgers, both being on the road.

In the four-game series with the Padres, Arizona was able to manage the series split before turning it on against the Dodgers.

They were able to easily take care of the Blue Crew, getting the three-game sweep. With that, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller bumps them up from No. 18 last week to No. 15 this week.

"Welcome back, Brandon Pfaadt. He had a 5.92 ERA and had been serving in a relief role for more than a month when he was sent down to Triple-A Reno in early June. But in three starts since his return late last month, he has gone 3-0 with a 1.72 ERA, including out-dueling Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Saturday. Merrill Kelly also had a seven-inning gem this week as he looks to bounce back from a brutal June. There's no way they'll chase down the Dodgers for the NL West crown, but there might still be postseason life in the desert after all."

The D-backs will rest and recover during the All-Star break before looking to carry that momentum into a series with the St. Louis Cardinals, a team that has been one of the biggest surprises this season.