The Diamondbacks are back in the kind of spot where every game feels like a math problem and a gut check at the same time. After yesterday’s results, their playoff odds climbed to 7.4%, and they enter this one four games behind the three-team tie for the NL wild-card positions. That leaves Arizona needing to make up one game on the Padres, either today or tomorrow, if it wants to keep control of its own fate.
Merrill Kelly gets the ball with that task hanging over the afternoon. His season ERA sits at exactly five, which doesn’t exactly scream lockdown ace, but there is at least one encouraging note for Arizona: his lone complete game in 200 major-league starts came against the Rockies earlier this year, and it happened at Coors Field.
Since the end of 2015, only four visiting pitchers have thrown a nine-inning complete game in Denver, and Kelly was one of them. The Diamondbacks will take that version again if he can find it.
Arizona’s bullpen workload is worth watching, too. Kevin Ginkel made his 71st appearance last night, and only four Arizona pitchers have reached 70 games out of the bullpen since the before-COVID era.
Ginkel did it in 2024 as well, while Joe Mantiply also hit that mark that year and Miguel Castro got to 75 in 2023. Taylor Clarke, who is sitting on 69, could join that group before the season ends.
Looking back further, Arizona has had two relievers top 70 appearances in only two seasons since 2008, 2012 and 2018. That 2018 group was especially heavy-duty, with Archie Bradley, Andrew Chafin and Yoshihisa Hirano all reaching at least 75 outings.
Juan Morillo is at 67 now, so that kind of repeat doesn’t look likely this year.
There’s also a little scoreboard-watching to do elsewhere. The Brewers were up 4-1 over the Phillies in the fourth inning, the Cubs had just gotten started in Miami, and the Padres were set to face the Dodgers in the final game of the day. For Arizona, the hope is simple: get through the night still alive.
In Other News...
Diamondbacks Keep Playoff Hopes Alive With No Room Left For Error
A first-inning mistake in the Rockies outfield helped set the tone for Arizona at Coors Field, where the Diamondbacks beat Colorado 5-3 to keep their postseason path from disappearing altogether. Zac Veens error opened the door to four unearned runs, giving Arizona an early cushion in a game it could not afford to let slip, and the win pulled the club within three games of the National Leagues third Wild Card spot with four games left to play.
Torey Lovullo managed like every inning mattered, turning to his bullpen early and lifting Merrill Kelly in the sixth after a single. With the margin still tight in the standings and no room left for a misstep, Arizona now has to turn this escape into a run, knowing the next four games are likely to decide whether the season gets extended or ends here. [Read more 🡒]
D-backs Prospects Just Sent Another Encouraging Message About The Farm System
The Diamondbacks keep getting reminders that the talent pipeline is in good shape, and the latest one came from Double-A Amarillo. The Sod Poodles won the Texas League championship by taking a winner-take-all Game 3 against Springfield, 6-4, putting together another strong finish for a club that has become one of the organizations clearest development success stories.
Avery Owusu-Asiedu delivered the biggest swing with a two-run homer, while Carlos Virahonda, Angel Ortiz and Mason Marriott helped close out the title game. It was Amarillos second championship in four years, and the broader takeaway for Arizona is hard to miss: prospects such as Druw Jones, David Hagaman, Danny Serretti, Cristofer Torin and Manuel Pena all had their moments during the season, adding another layer of optimism about whats building in the system. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Kept Their Season Alive But San Diego Changes Everything
Arizona kept its season breathing with a 12-8 win over the Rockies, a result that at least gave the club a chance to keep chasing October as the calendar flips to the final series of the regular season. Eduardo Rodriguezs better run this year has been part of that push, and the Diamondbacks have done enough to get themselves to San Diego with something still at stake.
Now the margin for error is gone. Arizona heads to San Diego needing a sweep of its last three games and help elsewhere to stay in the National League wild-card race, which is why every inning from here feels like it carries more weight than the last. The Phillies stand between the Diamondbacks and the postseason, and the path forward is narrow enough that the next pitch could matter just as much as the next result. [Read more 🡒]