PHOENIX -- Because of the sheer length of a season, Major League players can’t afford to look at a stretch of games and deem one more important than another.

They’re better off treating each game like Groundhog Day -- prepare the same way and follow the same routine regardless of what the name is on the opposing uniform.

Still, the fact remains that if the D-backs are going to make their case to the front office that the organization should be buyers rather than sellers at the July 31 Trade Deadline, they have to capitalize on a seemingly soft part of the schedule over the next seven days.

Following their 7-4 loss to the Brewers on Sunday afternoon at Chase Field, the D-backs dropped three of four to Milwaukee after dropping two of three in St. Louis just after the All-Star break.

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Both of those series gave Arizona a chance to separate itself from its key competitors in the National League Wild Card race.

Instead, the D-backs now find themselves 2 1/2 games behind the Brewers, who currently hold the second Wild Card spot, and two games behind the Cardinals and Phillies. They are tied with the red-hot Giants, who suddenly find themselves in the thick of the postseason race.

“They’re a team that was right next to us competing for that second Wild Card spot, so they come in here and they beat us three out of four, it stinks,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said of Milwaukee. “You can’t get this team back. They’re going to leave town, they did their job. It’s frustrating, it’s extremely frustrating, but we’ve got to find a way to come out tomorrow and play our game.”

The D-backs open a three-game series at home Monday against the Orioles, who are in last place in the American League East and tied with the Tigers for the worst record in baseball. After that, they go on the road for four games against the Marlins, who have the worst record in the NL.

If they’re going to go on a run and finally push their record (50-50) significantly over the .500 mark, then this is the time. Alex Avila, an 11-year big league veteran, though, says that is a dangerous mindset.

“I’ve heard that question for 10 years,” said Avila, who hit his 100th career home run in the loss. “You can’t think of it that way. You can’t look at it like that as a player. You have to go into each series with the same mentality. It doesn’t matter where you are in the standings or where you are as far as the Trade Deadline. That’s something, as players, you can’t control. That’s something you can't really worry about or take into your preparation. If you let that consume you over the course of the next few days, you’re doing yourself a disservice as far as not being as prepared as you need to be. Regardless of who we’re facing, the mentality has to be the same.”

In the three losses to the Brewers, D-backs relievers allowed 16 runs. The offense was not without blame either as it struggled to hit with runners in scoring position.

Lovullo often refers to wanting his team to “win the moments,” which means coming through in key situations or matchups. On Sunday, he likened what his team went through in the series against the Brewers to a boxer getting hit by a solid combination.

“We’ve got to get back in the middle of the ring and put our hands back up and fight,” Lovullo said. “Sometimes you get hit and you’ve got to learn from those experiences. So, my message to them is going to be, 'Get your hands up. Let’s get back in the middle of the ring and fight and do what we do best.'”

Whether they can look at it this way or not, the next seven games will likely determine what path Arizona’s front office takes at the Trade Deadline and, as a result, the rest of the season.