The Diamondbacks proved prescient with their spring training decision to give first baseman Brandon Allen some playing time in left field at Class AAA Reno this season, the better to maximize his chances of making a contribution at the major league level.

While the D-backs still believe Allen is primarily a first baseman, the offseason signing of free agent Adam LaRoche created a logjam at the position, and because LaRoche has a $7.5 million option for 2011, the team wanted to consider all options.

“He may be a candidate to get some substantial playing time out there next year,” said interim manager Kirk Gibson, after Allen made a sparkling defensive play and hit a game-deciding grand slam in his first major league start in left field Wednesday during a 5-2 victory over…

As the calendar rolls over to September, it marks the final full month of the 2010 regular season. While the Arizona Diamondbacks have been playing better baseball as of late, they are still in last place in the NL West.

Any combination of Diamondbacks losses or San Diego Padres wins totaling eight will eliminate Arizona from winning the NL West. Their hopes of being a wild card team are equally bleak.

The Diamondbacks have to be content in knowing their role for the remainder of the season is to be a spoiler. Given how many of their opponents this month have post season aspirations, the Diamondbacks could be a factor in who makes the playoffs.

September 1st has other implications too. It marks the date where rosters expand from 25 to 40. Teams are allowed to call up anyone who is listed on the 40-man roster.

Some teams do this to give their starters a breather while other teams use these call-ups to evaluate young talent or reward players who have had outstanding minor league seasons.

Today Arizona made four roster changes including three call-ups and one injury return.

Right-handed pitcher Leo Rosales returned from the 60-day disabled list months after injuring his foot. He will join the bullpen and try to finish stronger than he began.

The three call-ups came from the Triple-A Reno Aces and included right-handed reliever Carlos Rosa, infielder Tony Abreu, and infielder outfielder Brandan Allen. Both Rosa and Abreu were with the team earlier this season.

Allen, who was sent to Reno during Spring Training after the Diamondbacks signed Adam LaRoche, would make his 2010 debut during today’s game.

Allen is a first baseman that the Diamondbacks received in a 2009 trade that sent Tony Pena to the Chicago White Sox. For most of the season Allen played first base in Reno but  has seen time in left field as of late.

In today’s game, Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson tested the rookie, putting him in left field, moving Gerardo Parra to right field in place of the injured Justin Upton.

Allen made the most of his opportunity, making several difficult catches, including one against the bullpen fence that robbed the Padres of extra bases. It was not just his defense that impressed.

With the Padres leading the game, Allen came to the plate with the bases loaded and hit a grand slam that ended up being the winning runs for the Diamondbacks to complete their sweep of San Diego.

If this is any indication of what the Diamondbacks can expect, this could be a very exciting month of baseball in the desert.

Read more Arizona Diamondbacks news on BleacherReport.com

The Arizona Diamondbacks have recalled power-hitting first baseman Brandon Allen and added three others as September call-ups. Infielder Tony Abreu and right-hander Carlos Rosa also were recalled from Triple-A Reno on Wednesday, and right-hander Leo Rosales was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list.

For the second year in a row, the Arizona Diamondbacks have endured a miserable season. The Diamondbacks sit in last place in the NL West, 24 games behind the first place San Diego Padres.

Due to their poor season, it’s very rare they get any love here at The Ghost of Moonlight Graham. Well today, I am going to give them some love.

Did anyone take note of the week SS Stephen Drew had last week?

Drew absolutely tore the cover off the ball last week to the tune of a .500/.517/1.179 hitting line. That’s not a misprint. Drew really had a 1.179 slugging percentage.

Out of his 14 total hits, Drew hit five doubles, four HRs, and one triple. He also scored 10 runs and drove in nine for those of you who are into those types of numbers. Drew raised his average almost 20 points last week from .259 to .274.

That is one hell of a week.

And while Drew might have had an off-the-charts week, he very quietly is having a very solid season in Arizona. He is second among all MLB shortstops with an .806 OPS and currently is leader amongst all shortstops with a 4.0 WAR.

Drew is much like his brother in that it never seems like he has a good year because he is so talented and expectations are so high that nothing will ever be good enough. But when the season comes to an end and you look at the stats, Drew is always at the top of the charts among shortstops.

Based on offensive and defensive metrics, Drew has been the most valuable shortstop in baseball. Not bad for a guy that nobody has talked about much in 2010.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

Read more Arizona Diamondbacks news on BleacherReport.com

The Arizona Diamondbacks are having fun on the field and its translating to wins. Miguel Montero drove in the go-ahead runs with a ground-rule double, Gerardo Parra made two critical defensive plays and hit a two-run single, and the Diamondbacks beat San Diego 7-4 Tuesday night to hand the NL West-leading Padres their sixth straight loss.

By all accounts, August 30th should be like any other day in baseball. There is another five weeks left in the season,  and teams in the playoff hunt are trying to solidify their place in the standings and seize momentum heading to the post season.

Teams not bound for the playoffs are trying to maintain their focus hoping to end the season on a bright note, an attitude they can carry with them through the long offseason as they prepare for next year.

Team’s front office staff are wading through waiver wire transactions trying to determine whether the can make one more deal before the August 31st deadline when players can be included on a team’s post season roster.

For Arizona Diamondbacks fans and in particular Season Ticket Holders, today is an important day. August 30th marks the first deadline for renewing their season tickets.

For fans such as myself, the decision is relatively easy. Will there be baseball in 2011 and do I plan to still be breathing? Its hard to comprehend anyone considering not renewing their tickets.

Granted, when your team is some 26 games below .500, it can sometimes be difficult to get enthusiastic about handing over money to watch the team possibly fail for yet another year. At those times I like to paraphrase a bumper sticker I once saw on the back of a fishing boat, “Even the worst day of baseball is better than the best day of work”.

I try not to contemplate why someone put a bumper sticker on a boat that did not have a bumper. That kind of pondering will make you crazy. Instead, i try to focus on the message.

No matter how many times you watch your team seemingly invent new ways to lose, there is just something magical about being at the ballpark. So when the deadline arrived, I gladly gave the Arizona Diamondbacks my renewal papers, eager to be counted as a 2011 Season Ticket holder.

I’m looking forward to April 2011, when all the teams start anew with dreams of winning the World Series. I’ll be there, in Section 132 Row 9 Seat 9, cheering and envisioning how I will feel when it’s my team representing the National League in the World Series.

Read more Arizona Diamondbacks news on BleacherReport.com

Arizona third baseman Mark Reynolds says the Diamondbacks are in spoiler mode with the season winding down. Reynolds drove in five runs with a pair of two-run home runs and a single to lead the Diamondbacks to a 7-2 win over the San Diego Padres. The Diamondbacks won their fourth in five games, extending the Padres' longest skid of the season to five.

The Arizona Diamondbacks begin a three-game series against the San Diego Padres at Chase Field tonight. These two teams met a week ago at Petco Park with the Padres winning the first two games of the series before dropping the finale.

The Diamondbacks’ win in that third game marked their first win this season in San Diego. Since that time the Diamondbacks went on to take two out of three from the San Francisco Giants while the Padres were swept at home by the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Diamondbacks went a respectable 3-3 on their latest road trip. For a team that is a paltry 22-43 on the road, a .500 road trip is grounds for celebration. It wasn’t just this trip that has Diamondbacks fans excited.

Regardless of what happens over the next two nights, the Arizona Diamondbacks are guaranteed to have a winning record for the month of August. The worst they can finish is 15-14 if they lose tonight and tomorrow.

For a team that is 27 games under .500, there is not a lot to look forward to other than a winning percentage for a given month. To put this into perspective, the last time the Arizona Diamondbacks had a winning record for a month it was August 2009, exactly a year ago.

So while this may not be the kind of news that will set the town to dancing in the streets, it is a positive direction. Something we have not had in a very long time.

Read more Arizona Diamondbacks news on BleacherReport.com

San Francisco's Brian Wilson hasn't had many save opportunities the past two weeks. It's been even longer since the Giants' All-Star closer had to pitch more than one inning. Wilson shrugged off his lack of work and recorded five outs for his 36th save after San Francisco's normally reliable bullpen blew a three-run lead in a 9-7 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Brandon Webb and the Diamondbacks finally have something to look forward to.

Webb is expected to make a September return and pitch for the bullpen.

Brandon Webb hasn’t pitched since April of 2009. Since then, he has been making a push to return from shoulder surgery performed in October of last year.

On Saturday, the 2006 NL Cy Young award winner was ecstatic after throwing a simulated game that “went so well.”

“I’m on cloud nine right now. It feels great. It doesn’t take much to get you back on the positive side and look forward and see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Webb’s simulation was 52 pitches, and afterwards left him visibly excited. D-backs pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre explained his pitches as “filthy.”

“Today, for me, was a huge breakthrough and a movement forward. Realistically, looking at what we have left in the season, the probability of him pitching now is high,” Stottlemyre said.

Webb was clocked in at 80 MPH, which is nothing great compared to when he is 100 percent. The D-backs are waiting until Webb can reach the mid-80s. It is not known how soon Webb will reach that velocity, but timing is a major factor in his return.

“If he can add a couple miles per hour more on his next statement and…if he can go get one more gear and sustain that and then fine-tune and harness his other stuff, then you could say…two or three of these more and he has a chance of getting out there,” Stottlemyre said.

Look for Webb to make a September return, barring any setbacks. We will see if Webb can return to his elite pitching status, being the former Cy Young award winner in 2006.

Read more Arizona Diamondbacks news on BleacherReport.com