This week, the Diamondbacks will likely face their hardest homestand of the season. They’ll play the New York Mets in a three-game series before wrapping up with the Los Angeles Dodgers in a four-game series on Labor Day Weekend. Both series will be difficult, with two clubs desperate for series victories to boost their playoff chances. However, at the same time, Arizona will be granted the same  opportunities to do the same.

A solid homestand would mean a lot to the Diamondbacks this season. Winning both series would increase their prospects of not only winning the National League West, but also of making the postseason. Arizona is only three games behind the Dodgers for the division lead with four games remaining against them, and their magic number to make the playoffs is at 25.

It will be difficult for the Diamondbacks to pull off. The Mets have gotten increasingly anxious to add wins, since they are currently 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves and 7.0 games behind Arizona. The Mets have won seven of the last nine games at Chase Field, though you might argue that this is a different Diamondbacks team than the one they faced at the end of May. Not long after Arizona left town, New York started on a hot stretch in the middle of June and July, but has since cooled off.

Shortstop Francisco Lindor, who is on track to have another excellent season for New York, will be a critical batter to restrict. Lindor has a.369/.419/.670 batting line against Arizona in 26 games, including six home runs. In the Mets’ two wins over the Diamondbacks, he went 6-for-8 with a double and a homer. In their two losses, he went 1-for-7.

The Dodgers are always a formidable opponent, regardless of the year or who is playing for them. Their starting lineup is back to full strength, with Mookie Betts returning following an eight-week absence due to a fractured left hand. The Dodgers lineup is a difficult opponent to face, since they can wear out opponents and capitalize on every little mistake, much like the Diamondbacks have been doing recently.

Their pitching staff, particularly their rotation, has struggled throughout the season owing to health difficulties. They traded for Jack Flaherty to bolster their rotation, but Tyler Glasnow does not appear to be returning in time for the series. This leaves them with only Flaherty and Gavin Stone as their most reliable choices for the weekend. Walker Buehler has an ERA above 6.00 since returning from his second Tommy John surgery, but he has an excellent record versus Arizona, with a 2.07 ERA in 13 appearances. Clayton Kershaw, a future Hall of Fame left-handed pitcher, is also set to start the series.

Winning both series would give the Diamondbacks the head-to-head tiebreaker over both teams, giving them the division lead and reducing the number of games needed to clinch a postseason spot by 20%. With that tiebreaker, Arizona would only need to win one more game than the Dodgers for the remainder of the season to win the division title. They have not won the division in the last 12 seasons, only making the playoffs twice during that time.