Arizona has pulled itself back from the edge just in time. A week ago, the Diamondbacks looked as though their October chase was fading after a Friday loss to the Yankees. Since then, they have stacked five straight victories, including a clean sweep of the Rockies, and carried meaningful baseball into the season’s final weekend.
Arizona opens a pivotal Padres series
The Diamondbacks enter Friday at 85-74, two games behind the 87-72 Phillies for the National League’s final Wild Card berth. Brandon Pfaadt is set to start Friday night’s opener against San Diego, with first pitch scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET.
It is a three-game series with little room for a loose inning or a missed opportunity. Arizona and San Diego split their 10 meetings during the regular season, so the D-backs need help elsewhere as well as a strong finish of their own.
- Arizona reaches the postseason by sweeping San Diego while Philadelphia goes 1-2 or 0-3 against Tampa Bay.
- The D-backs can also get in by taking two of three from the Padres if the Phillies are swept by the Rays.
Arizona does hold an important edge if it finishes tied with Philadelphia. The clubs split their six head-to-head games, but the Diamondbacks own the better record within their division, the next tiebreaking measure.
Phillies still hold the upper hand
The path remains difficult because Philadelphia controls its own finish. The Phillies host the Rays for three games, beginning Friday with left-hander Cristopher Sánchez on the mound. Two wins in that series would send Philadelphia to the postseason for a fifth consecutive year and end Arizona’s hopes.
Still, the Phillies have left the door cracked open. They bring a two-game skid into the weekend and are 5-5 across their last 10 games. For Arizona, the assignment is clear: at least two wins over San Diego are required before any scoreboard watching can matter.
Weather could become part of the race
A Nor’easter expected to affect the East Coast may complicate Philadelphia’s weekend. Boston is projected to take the heaviest impact, but substantial rain is also forecast for Philadelphia on Saturday and Sunday.
- Philadelphia is scheduled to play Tampa Bay on Saturday night at 7:15 p.m. ET.
- The series finale is set for Sunday afternoon at 3:05 p.m. ET.
- If Arizona keeps winning, any weather-delayed Philadelphia games would need to be completed because the Wild Card outcome could remain unsettled.
More than one Wild Card seed remains unsettled
San Diego and Chicago have already secured postseason places, but neither club has locked down its Wild Card position. That leaves a crowded finish around Arizona’s pursuit of Philadelphia.
One possible final-weekend result would leave the Padres, Cubs and Phillies tied in a three-team Wild Card logjam. Before any of those larger seeding questions take shape, though, the Diamondbacks must keep the streak alive behind Pfaadt and make every remaining game count.
