PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks never quite overcame an ugly four-run first inning from the San Diego Padres, as they dropped their final series opener of the regular season 5-3 on Friday.

With the loss, the D-backs no longer control their own destiny in the NL Wild Card race, needing some help from around the league to play October baseball.

The Diamondbacks (88-72) are in a virtual tie with the New York Mets (87-71) and Atlanta Braves (87-71) but trail in percentage points and without either tiebreaker. The D-backs have two games remaining, while the NL East rivals have four, including a doubleheader on Monday.

“We couldn’t close up that early deficit, the first inning I think took a little bit of energy out of us,” manager Torey Lovullo said.

“We’re going to be ready to go tomorrow. We know what we’re fighting for. A lot of people are asking me questions about the stability of our team. Are we okay? We’re great. We’re fine when it comes to prepping and expecting to go out and have good things happen. … We didn’t get the victory today. We sure as hell are gonna do all we can to get one tomorrow.”

The earliest Arizona can clinch is now Sunday, which would require two wins to close the regular season and at least one Mets loss to the Milwaukee Brewers or one Braves loss to the Kansas City Royals. The Mets fell to Milwaukee 8-4 on Friday, while the Braves bested the Kansas City Royals — who clinched a postseason berth due to the Minnesota Twins losing — 3-0.

The Padres, meanwhile, locked up the top Wild Card spot and no longer have anything to gain from this series at Chase Field other than potentially eliminating a division foe.

“I feel like we’re confident,” reliever Kevin Ginkel said. “I feel like this team is a playoff-caliber team. We’ve shown it all year. Obviously, it’s coming down to the last couple of games here, and we’re going to need some help, but I feel like if we keep doing our job and keep it close, we’re going to have a chance.”

Diamondbacks fall behind

D-backs starter Merrill Kelly threw 31 pitches during a first inning in which he did not receive help from his defense.

The game started with a Luis Arraez double on a high fly ball to right-center field. Arizona sold out for offense in the lineup, starting Pavin Smith in right, moving Corbin Carroll to center and leaving Jake McCarthy on the bench. Smith could not run the fly ball down (Arraez hit a very similar ball for an RBI triple later in the fourth inning).

Arraez later scored on Manny Machado’s sharp one-hopper to second baseman Ketel Marte’s glove side, which he whiffed at. There was a chance to potentially turn two and end the inning unscathed.

“Not an easy play, those types of grounders are kind of uncomfortable. I thought I could make a swipe at it, but I wasn’t able to make the play,” Marte said via Spanish interpreter Alex Arpiza. “The hit was to the glove side, it wasn’t straight down the middle, if it was down the middle then I play it off a hop and off me, but it was to the side.”

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said Ketel Marte was going for the “kill shot” on the ball that got by the second baseman in a four-run Padres first inning. pic.twitter.com/IjWxNkASd2

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 28, 2024

After a Jackson Merrill single, Lovullo went out to the mound to check in on his players’ focus after a couple plays got away.

“I just told them, ‘Lock in. Let’s go, lock it in,'” Lovullo said. “I saw a couple things that told me we weren’t absolutely 100% engaged, and I just wanted to make sure we were. And they said they were. I checked on every one, looked them all in the eye and they said they were ready to go.”

Xander Bogaerts hit what looked like a routine double-play ball out of the mound visit, but Marte had trouble getting a grip on the turn and sailed his throw out of play. Another run scored, and former Diamondback David Peralta piled on with an RBI single.

Nine batters came to the plate in what is typically a scoreless inning for this typically excellent Diamondbacks defense.

“That’s just part of the game,” Kelly said. “That’s my job. Got to pick up your teammates. Offense and defense got to pick up the pitching and the pitching got to pick up the offense and defense.”

Four in the first 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qqYe3TtOQ7

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 28, 2024

Day of almosts for Diamondbacks

Arizona cut the deficit in half right away, as Corbin Carroll hit a home run off San Diego’s Yu Darvish, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. skied a sacrifice fly that just missed getting over the fence to tie the game.

The D-backs put up an offensive performance of near-misses all night, from an Eugenio Suarez liner just left of the foul pole in the second inning, a 398-foot fly out to center from Smith and a 401-foot Marte shot tracked down by Merrill in center field.

The Diamondbacks had the game-tying or go-ahead run at the plate in seven of nine innings. Ultimately, the D-backs fell short with runners on base, finishing 1-for-7.

Merrill Kelly better than the statline

Kelly was effective throughout the rest of his outing, stacking up 5.2 innings with one earned run after the four in the opening frame. He was charged with all four early runs despite the defensive lapses behind him. Lovullo said Kelly deserved a better fate.

“I think throughout a course of the game, there’s a couple pitches I probably like back and redo, but for the most part, I felt like I had some pretty good stuff,” Kelly said. “Location was good, changeup was really good tonight.”

Plus, he did not have any cramping issues pop up, which he called a blessing.

Arizona’s bullpen — Joe Mantiply, Ryan Thompson, A.J. Puk and Ginkel — threw 3.1 scoreless innings to keep the game close.

Diamondbacks’ next game

Eduardo Rodriguez will start for the D-backs on Saturday. San Diego has not named its starter.

First pitch is at 5:10 p.m. on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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The southpaw starter coughed up three home runs to the San Francisco Giants on Monday, while also striking out eight batters in a 6-3 loss. He only survived 4.2 innings and walked three on 103 pitches.

Through nine starts, Rodriguez has earned a 5.56 ERA and crossed the sixth-inning threshold in just one of those appearances, an 11-strikeout outing against the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 18.

With the Atlanta Braves shutting out the Kansas City Royals 3-0 and a New York Mets loss, Arizona is locked in a three-way tie for the final two Wild Card positions. The D-backs lose both tiebreakers with the two other playoff hopefuls, however.

Ryne Nelson will be available for bullpen work after being activated off the 15-day injured list on Thursday. As a large portion of the D-backs’ relievers made appearances in a 5-3 loss Friday, with Ryan Thompson, A.J. Puk and Kevin Ginkel each working an inning, Nelson could provide much needed length for a must-win game.

The Padres named right-hander Randy Vasquez (4-7, 5.18 ERA) as their Game 2 starter.

How to follow Game 2 of D-backs-Padres

Catch all of Saturday’s action from Chase Field on the Arizona Sports app, 98.7 and ArizonaSports.com. First pitch is slated for 5:10 p.m.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres came out of the MLB All-Star break red-hot to not only push themselves atop the National League Wild Card race but challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers atop the NL West standings.

The Dodgers clinched the NL West in Thursday’s win over the Padres, and Arizona is clinging to hold the third and final NL Wild Card spot.

Over 25 games to begin the second half of the schedule, the D-backs and Padres held the league’s two best records.

Arizona notably went 20-5 through its first eight series of the post-All-Star break schedule, leading MLB in batting average and slugging.

Down the stretch of the season, four teams separated from the pack to contend for three Wild Card spots.

Here’s a look at the NL Wild Card race as the D-backs attempt to cling to playoff positioning while the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves.

Diamondbacks standings in the NL Wild Card race

* The Mets and Braves own the head-to-head tiebreaker against the D-backs. There is no longer a Game 163 to break ties in the standings.

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The D-backs fell behind 4-0, and starter Merrill Kelly needed 31 pitches to record three outs.

Four in the first 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qqYe3TtOQ7

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 28, 2024

Padres slugger Manny Machado hit a sharp one-hopper to Marte at second base, and the veteran infielder whiffed while trying to pick it. The first run of the game scored.

A Jackson Merrill RBI single brought D-backs manager Torey Lovullo out of the dugout to talk to his players on the mound.

The meeting apparently worked, as Kelly induced a grounder to shortstop Geraldo Perdomo for a potential inning-ending double play. But Marte struggled to make the turn and threw the relay over first baseman Christian Walker and out of play.

Another run scored on the error, and San Diego picked up one more on a David Peralta single.

The Diamondbacks, however, responded, as Corbin Carroll blasted a solo shot to lead off the bottom half against Yu Darvish. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. nearly tied the game with a deep fly ball to left, but he settled for a sacrifice fly.

Arizona cut the deficit, and may have shifted the momentum as Kelly threw a 1-2-3 second inning.

Catch the rest of the game on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson will come out of the bullpen this weekend in the final series of the regular season against the San Diego Padres, manager Torey Lovullo said.

Nelson came off the injured list Thursday with right shoulder inflammation that popped up after his last start back on Sept. 8 in Houston.

Lovullo was specific that Nelson would not be an option to start against San Diego with a postseason berth on the line, but Nelson will have a role at Chase Field. The D-backs can clinch a playoff spot with a sweep or depend on other results to punch a ticket.

“I want to believe he can go out and fire bullets in all three games, but I don’t know if that’s going to be the case,” Lovullo said. “I’m going to see how he’s used tonight, if he’s used tonight, and then have him wake up tomorrow and tell me how he feels. He’s an injured athlete. We got to be mindful of his return.

“I think my starting point — and this is just me, and I have the right to change my mind — is we could use him for an inning or two innings tonight, maybe an inning on Sunday. That would be my initial starting point. But I know this is the time of year where the boys get after it and they sacrifice so we’ll see what role he fits into.”

Merrill Kelly is Friday’s starter for Arizona against a Padres team looking to solidify the top Wild Card spot. The Diamondbacks can run out Eduardo Rodriguez on Saturday and Brandon Pfaadt on Sunday, although Lovullo said that is not set in stone.

Nelson said he’s comfortable coming out of the bullpen. He’s had an opener in front of him twice this season against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his outings combined for 10 innings and one earned run.

“I’ve done it with the opener a few times, and last year through the playoff run,” Nelson said. “So I don’t think it’s a comfort thing at all. I think I’m just, more than anything, excited to go out there and pitch.”

Nelson threw a 25-pitch bullpen on Tuesday, so getting up to a starter’s worth of pitches right away is not in the cards.

But he could really assist a Diamondbacks bullpen that has had its ups and downs, especially this month. Outside A.J. Puk, Arizona’s positive-role relievers such as Ryan Thompson Justin Martinez and Kevin Ginkel have hit some bumps over the past four weeks. They will be relied on this weekend, but Nelson adds depth that could be worthwhile.

Nelson had been one of the most productive pitchers in MLB for the previous two months before his injury. He was second in the league with 79.1 innings from July 1 to Sept. 8 with a 3.16 ERA.

“It’s tough when you’re at home watching on TV and the team is on the road, it’s a weird feeling,” Nelson said. “You’re not supposed to be here. You’re supposed to be somewhere else, and that’s a hard feeling to get over with. More importantly, just happy to be back with these guys and finish this thing with them.”

Can Zac Gallen pitch on short rest?

Lovullo said the idea of Zac Gallen pitching on short rest had not yet been discussed, but he also did not dismiss the notion.

Gallen threw six innings with one earned run and 11 punch outs on Wednesday in a win over the San Francisco Giants.

“I know Zac, and if he could help his team win on Sunday, and if it’s an all-in day, he’s going to come to me and say, ‘I want to pitch in this game,'” Lovullo said. “And I probably will not get in his way. So we’ll find out what role he could be in. I don’t know what it would be, but if we get to that point, we’ll figure it out.”

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo discusses Zac Gallen’s availability to pitch this weekend with Dave Burns and Kellan Olson.

The Torey Lovullo Show on @BurnsAndGambo is presented by Estrella Jalisco. pic.twitter.com/TgQngXXXFv

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 27, 2024

What is Alek Thomas’ role?

The Diamondbacks recalled center fielder Alek Thomas from Triple-A Reno, giving the club its best defensive outfielder back and a left-handed option off the bench.

Jake McCarthy has received the bulk of the center field starts in the second half of the season, and Corbin Carroll will patrol center on Friday with Pavin Smith in right and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in left.

Thomas is going to be coming off the bench for the time being.

“Right now, probably a defensive replacement later in games, pinch run, maybe pinch hit,” Lovullo said. “I mean, in a close game, he’ll probably be playing center field for us. That’s what I explained to him. I said, ‘As far as the next three days and a start, let’s compartmentalize that, not worry about it.'”

Thomas has a .609 OPS in the major leagues this season in what has been an injury-marred campaign. He missed significant time with separate hamstring and oblique issues.

His OPS is .778 in 16 games with Reno this season.

First pitch on Friday is at 6:40 p.m. with Kelly matching up with San Diego’s Yu Darvish at Chase Field.

Tune to 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app for pregame and first pitch. 

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After a sucker-punch of a loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday and dropping two-of-three against the San Francisco Giants this week, the Arizona Diamondbacks are hanging on by a thread in the NL postseason race.

Arizona currently holds the third NL Wild Card spot, leading the Atlanta Braves by just one game. The New York Mets hold the second spot, but only two of the three will see October.

With the Mets and Braves getting the final two games of their series postponed to Monday, it’s possible the Diamondbacks won’t know their fate until Monday night.

“We’re going wait and see what happens on Monday, but this team is miraculous, the way they bounce back and get together, believe in one another,” Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Thursday. “These guys are looking like themselves and we need them down the stretch to be themselves.”

Until then, the Diamondbacks now shift all their attention to the San Diego Padres, a team that’s already clinched an NL Wild Card spot.

The Padres were challenging the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West title, but the Padres dropped two-of-three to the Dodgers in their series that concluded on Thursday, granting the Dodgers their 11th division title in 12 years.

A magic number for the Diamondbacks to clinch a postseason spot is three, meaning if the Diamondbacks sweep the Padres this weekend, they’re in.

But the Padres will pose no easy task for Arizona, as the Diamondbacks look to reach the postseason in back-to-back seasons since 2001-02.

“We hope that everybody is coming in here playing for something because that’s when our team steps up,” Hall said. “But we’re a better team than we were last year and the record reflects that.”

Diamondbacks-Padres probable starters

Friday: Arizona RHP Merrill Kelly (5-0, 3.71) vs. San Diego RHP Yu Darvish (6-3, 3.18)

Saturday: Arizona TBD vs. San Diego TBD

Sunday: Arizona TBD vs. San Diego TBD

Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly will take the mound in the series opener on Friday, opposing Padres right-hander Yu Darvish.

Kelly has experienced leg cramping three times this season, most recently in his last start against the Brewers. When healthy, Kelly has posted a 3.71 ERA in 12 starts this season. Darvish, who’s dealt with injuries of his own in 2024, has recorded a 3.18 ERA in 15 starts this season.

The probables for Saturday and Sunday have yet to be announced. Manager Torey Lovullo said Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez could start those games but nothing has been finalized yet.

“There’s a lot that goes into that. We got see how we match up with the Padres and we got to win baseball games,” Lovullo said. “If the series goes in a very positive way, we may make some adjustments to set up for the postseason.

“There’s a lot of contingency based on the next two days. Your starting point could be in line and  (we) make some adjustments. It could be Kelly, E-Rod, Pfaadt but we haven’t made that firm. Where it goes from today on is very fluid.”

Lovullo said on Arizona Sports Burns & Gambo Friday that Ryne Nelson, who was activated off the injured list Thursday, will likely be used as a reliever for this weekend’s series.

“He’s got a certain pitch count that we spit out and we feel comfortable putting him in that range,” Lovullo. “Not quite enough for him be to be a starter yet. We know if the season advances beyond these next three days, and we’re very hopeful for that and energized for that, that we might shuffle it a little bit and put him back in the starting rotation.

“For right now, we most likely will see him coming out of the bullpen but I want to use every bullet I can. I want to use every one of his quality pitches that I possibly can. I remember not so long ago, 16 days ago, he was one our best pitchers and one of the best pitchers in the National League, so I want to use that to the best of our availability.”

Lovullo did not rule out using Zac Gallen in some capacity if needed for this weekend’s series. Gallen last pitched on Wednesday, throwing six innings with one run on two hits and striking out 11 batters in the D-backs 8-2 win vs. the San Francisco Giants.

“I know Zac. I know if it comes to the last day, he’s going to be like ‘let me get in and throw some fireballs at these guys,'” Lovullo said. “I know how he is and know how he’s wired. If we get down into that position, it’s going to be all hands on deck and that’s where are at.

“That’s our mentality. We are all in, fighting this together and we all want to go out and do just a little bit more for one another. Not going outside of our comfort zone but to just to be there and present and engaged for one another, and I know Zac fits into that mold for sure.

How to watch Diamondbacks-Padres

All three games will be televised on DBACKS.TV through channel 34 on Cox.

The whole series will be available on the Arizona Sports app,98.7 and ArizonaSports.com.

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Arizona putting together a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres at Chase Field punches its ticket, no matter what fellow NL Wild Card contenders the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves do the rest of the way. But this situation is a bit more complicated without a perfect weekend.

The Mets and Braves play a doubleheader on Monday due to postponements from Hurricane Helene, so they each have five games left to Arizona’s three. That’s one of several reasons the magic number is a bit of a moving target here. Sure, three wins is a clinch, but two wins and one Braves loss in no way guarantees the D-backs get to jump in the pool.

Perhaps laying out the D-backs’ clinching scenarios is simpler, even if all these possibilities are a bit bell-ringing.

FanGraphs’ odds have Arizona (58.6%) slightly behind New York (76.7%) and Atlanta (64.7%) to make the playoffs entering play on Friday.

Arizona (88-71) sits in a virtual tie with New York (87-70) and one game ahead of Atlanta (86-71) without a tiebreaker over either team.

The Padres (91-68), who fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday to end their NL West chase, are three ahead of the D-backs and can lock up the top Wild Card spot with another win.

The playoffs truly start this weekend at Chase Field.

Will the Diamondbacks make the playoffs? D-backs clinching scenarios

3 wins by Arizona

Let the beer and bubbles flow, it’s over.

The Diamondbacks would jump the Padres and eliminate either the Mets or Braves with a 91-win season. This would also give the D-backs a chance to host a Wild Card Series unless the Mets finish with a 4-1 or 5-0 record. In that case, the D-backs would be off to Queens.

2 wins by Arizona

There is a reason general manager Mike Hazen was referencing the 90-win mark as significant earlier this week.

Essentially, the Mets and Braves would need to combine for four or more losses in 10 combined games left, and two of those will come Monday.

The D-backs would reach 90 wins, while the Mets and Braves eliminate the chance to both crack 90 with four more defeats between them.

That means either the Braves or Mets would have to lose at least two of three games in their respective series this weekend, or they each drop at least one. The Mets are in Milwaukee, while the Braves host Kansas City.

For example, if the Mets and Braves both win two of three games this weekend, their 89 and 88 win totals would ensure Monday’s doubleheader only decides which of the NL East rivals moves on.

If the Mets drop two of three in Milwaukee and the Braves sweep Kansas City, same deal: New York would have 88 wins and Atlanta 89. If the Braves drop two games to the Royals and the Mets sweep the Brewers, the Braves are eliminated.

1 win by Arizona

This is where it gets really tricky for the Diamondbacks.

For 89 wins to get Arizona into October, the Mets would have to finish 1-4 or 0-5, or the Braves would need to go 2-3 or worse.

The D-backs finishing with 89 wins would be enough by the end of the weekend only if the Braves get swept. That’s the lone scenario where Monday’s doubleheader would not matter for the D-backs’ postseason chances, only seeding, in this case.

No wins by Arizona

Arizona would need the Mets to lose out or have the Braves finish 1-4 or 0-5.

The D-backs would not be in a position to clinch before Monday if they are swept by San Diego.

Unfavorable matchups to help the D-backs

The Mets visit a Brewers team with absolutely nothing to play for. The Brewers are the NL Central champs locked into the third division winner spot behind the Dodgers and Phillies. Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy can manage workloads with his pitching and position players.

Frankie Montas (4.85 ERA) will start on Friday for the Brewers against Mets ace Sean Manaea (3.29 ERA).

The Braves host the Royals, whose magic number for an AL Wild Card berth is one. A Royals win or a Minnesota Twins loss would clinch a spot for Kansas City, as only the second or third Wild Card slot would be up for debate.

Brady Singer (3.73 ERA) starts for Kansas City against Atlanta’s Max Fried (3.42 ERA) in the opener.

And that is why FanGraphs’ odds have the D-backs’ odds behind the Mets and Braves to make the postseason entering play on Friday.

Doubleheader impacts Diamondbacks

Failing to clinch before Monday’s doubleheader is a tenuous possibility for the Diamondbacks.

That scenario brings up the potential nightmare of either the Mets or Braves clinching in the first game of their doubleheader and slamming the brakes to preserve their top starters, relievers and position players for a second game in which the other club needs a win to get in. If the D-backs win 90 games but both the Mets and Braves sit at 89 entering Monday, that’s a problem.

There’s also this scenario: Let’s say the D-backs finish with 89 wins, the Mets sweep the Brewers to clinch while the Braves win two of three against Kansas City. Atlanta would only need one win in two games against the Mets’ B-Team to eliminate the D-backs.

Very simply, the Diamondbacks could really use two wins to keep their odds solid — if they don’t slam the door with three.

Yes, the playoffs truly start this weekend.

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Kotsay fought tears, just like so many others Thursday, as the Oakland Athletics bid an emotional farewell to their beloved Coliseum they’ve called home since 1968, complete with all its quirks like plumbing problems and rally possums — and those stray cats who helped inspire Hall of Famer Tony La Russa’s former Animal Rescue Foundation.

The A’s beat the Texas Rangers 3-2 and Kotsay took the microphone afterward for a heartfelt thank you to a sellout crowd of 46,889 before leading one last chant of “Let’s go Oakland!” Third baseman Max Schuemann grabbed a huge A’s flag and ran it around the field, stopping to wave it in front of different sections.

“I’ve never been to a World Series before,” Kotsay said. “But I feel like today is one of those days that you can kind of experience the emotion of that, the magnitude of it. Driving in the gates today and seeing the fullness of a parking lot, feeling the energy and the emotion is something I’ll treasure for the rest of my life.”

Longtime supporters and kids alike stole away from work or school to be here for the matinee finale under a cloudless September blue sky. Oakland’s last team standing, the A’s follow the NFL Raiders and Golden State Warriors basketball team out of town.

Spontaneously, Schuemann grabbed the flag held by mascot Stomper moments earlier, and took off running.

“I wanted to enjoy it with them, for sure,” he said of the fans.

Quickly, home plate was dug up and the mound rubber removed. Head groundskeeper Clay Wood’s sweet dog Reba made one final run through the outfield to her master’s office beyond the fence.

Kotsay made one request for a memento: He’s taking home three bases, which were changed out every inning so 27 were available as keepsakes — with longtime, outgoing groundskeeper Clay Wood gifted the first-inning bags.

From Kotsay’s days of playing outfield and way back to the 1989 earthquake-interrupted World Series when the A’s swept the Giants, to Bash Brothers Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire and that special 20-game winning streak of 2002 and the Big Three of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito before “I Believe in Stephen Vogt” later became a battle cry, this building has been home to so many glory moments transcending eras and spanning stars of different generations.

Zito sang the national anthem to huge applause, while Rickey Henderson and Dave Stewart tossed out ceremonial first pitches.

Not far from the A’s dugout, Kelly Mattson of the grounds crew let fans scoop dirt right out of his shovel.

Hours before first pitch, A’s bullpen catcher Dustin Hughes and his Oakland scout father John played catch in left field before hiking up to Mount Davis and then exploring the inside of the scoreboard and other hidden spots below the center-field stands.

Hundreds of fans spent recent days walking through the concourse snapping photos or taking videos of all the pictures and memories spanning the decades. The parking lots were filled before breakfast with tailgaters taking it all in just once more.

Former A’s fan favorite and current Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien expected 10 to 15 family and friends — including his parents and grandparents — in the stands for the special occasion.

“Thank you to all the security guards, concession workers everyone who made this place a major league stadium,” Semien said on the field. “I really appreciate you welcoming me as an East Bay kid to your place of work. I feel very sorry for anybody who can’t continue on with Oakland but keep on grinding like you always have been.”

Longtime manager and former catcher Bruce Bochy became emotional in the visiting dugout. The Coliseum matters so much to him, too.

The A’s plan to play the next three years in Sacramento with hopes of opening a new ballpark in Las Vegas ahead of the 2028 season.

“Big day,” said Bochy, a former catcher who guided the San Francisco Giants to World Series titles in 2010, ‘12 and ’14. “Memorable day for I think so many people but for me, it’s starting to hit me now that baseball’s done here. It’s kind of sad. Because I love this place, love the field and everything.”

He added of his team: “I think they’re really appreciating what this place is.”

Kotsay planned to soak in everything.

“It’s a day that will come and go pretty quickly,” he said, “and you just don’t want to miss any opportunity to express your gratitude toward the fans, toward the people that mean everything, the workers in the stadium. Sharing moments with them today was tough. There’s a lot of people here that have invested their lives and their souls into this organization and into this stadium and into the game of baseball. The love for the game of baseball but more for the love for the people and the relationships that have been built over 57 years in this stadium.”

Even his players understood the magnitude of saying goodbye.

“It’s unique in that there’s no frills. A lot of stadiums have, whether it’s good or bad, kind of become less about the actual baseball game and more just about an entertainment product,” slugger Brent Rooker said. “What the Coliseum offers is, ‘Here’s just a bunch of seats, and here’s a field and there’s going to be a baseball game happening.’ And that’s really cool.”

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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen knew exactly where to find the motivation for his start on Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants.

Gallen joined Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Thursday and said he got the motivation from himself as he pitched six innings with one run on two hits, striking out a season-high 11 batters in the team’s 9-2 win on Wednesday.

“For me, it’s internal. I feel like I had a coach at a young age that said, ‘great players are even better self-evaluators,'” Gallen said. “For me, it’s being able to look yourself in the mirror and motivate yourself.

“You can go out there and externally find the negative or positive. A lot of the times the negatives are somewhat ignorant but being able to look yourself in the mirror and address what you need to address and what motivates you, that’s where a lot of my motivation stems from.”

Gallen has been strong as of late, posting a 4-0 record with a 2.68 ERA and 38 strikeouts in the month of September as the D-backs currently hold the final Wild Card spot by one game over the Atlanta Braves ahead of their final regular season series against the San Diego Padres.

Gallen said he feels the playoff chase experience from last season has put them in a better position for 2024.

“Knowing what we did last year, we know you just got to get in,” Gallen said. “This year, thankfully we are in a position we control our own destiny as opposed to last year (where) we kind of did but we needed some help. I feel like the vibes from the outside, a lot of people thought they were negative. For the most part, we just knew we needed to handle business.

“Teams are playing us hard now, especially teams in the division that want to play spoiler. They don’t want see another team in their division get into the playoffs, so these are games that mean something to them. Winning last night felt good, got the monkey off their back, we got a tough Padres team coming in and we feel ready for the challenge.”

Gallen said he welcomes the pressure the team is facing during this playoff race and knows how to deal with it even when he’s not pitching.

“I think for me it’s just preparation. I think just knowing how much I prepare and being able to prepare myself for the day I take the mound,” Gallen said. “I think that takes care of a lot of the pressure.

“There’s probably more pressure the four days leading up to a start than the fifth day. At that point, you are just relying on your talent and what you had done to prepare those past four days to go out there and just compete. Honestly, I feel more pressure the four days I’m not pitching because I have no control of the game. I’m just sitting there, watching the game and rooting the fellas on. When I’m out there, I let my talent take over and let the preparation take over.”

The D-backs optioned pitchers Yilber Diaz and Blake Walston to Triple-A following Wednesday’s game against the San Francisco Giants.

Nelson had been on the injured list since Sept. 14 with right shoulder inflammation.

The Diamondbacks will now have decisions to make for who will start in the rotation ahead of their final regular season series against the San Diego Padres. Merrill Kelly is scheduled to pitch Friday’s game with Saturday and Sunday’s starters yet to be announced.

Ryne Nelson is back for the Diamondbacks

Nelson rejoins the club as the team remains one game ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the final Wild Card spot in the National League with three games remaining in the regular season.

Nelson threw a 16-pitch bullpen on Saturday. He had been one of Arizona’s most consistent starter before going on the IL, owning a 3.16 ERA in 79.1 frames over that stretch.

Alek Thomas returns to the majors

Thomas was activated by the Reno Aces on Sept. 17 after missing over a month due a oblique injury. 

Thomas was sent down to Reno on Aug. 13, and a week later was placed on the injured list. He had five hits at the plate in his three games for the Aces before getting injured.

The D-backs originally optioned Thomas after his bat struggled to pick up rhythm across a month-long period in his return from a hamstring injury that had multiple setbacks. In 37 games, Thomas was batting .191 with three home runs and 17 RBIs.

Thomas returns as he fights for playing time in a crowded outfield of Jake McCarthy, Corbin Carroll, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Randal Grichuk and Pavin Smith, the latter having been of the D-backs better hitters as of late, hitting .310 with six home runs and 19 RBIs in the month of September.

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks were in dire need of their ace to “rise to the occasion” and stop the bleeding of a three-game losing streak, and Zac Gallen delivered Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants.

In likely the final start of Gallen’s regular season, he gave the D-backs six innings with one run on two hits, striking out a season-high 11 batters en route to an 8-2 victory to keep Arizona (88-71) in a postseason spot.

“That’s probably the best I’ve felt in a while,” Gallen said. “There’s been some good outings in there, but either just didn’t feel great or battled a little bit of a sickness for a little while. … It’s best one in a while.”

His day did not start off particularly neat, as Gallen labored through the first two frames on 41 pitches and San Francisco took a 1-0 lead in the second on a Tyler Fitzgerald double. From there, Gallen was brilliant, retiring 12 Giants in a row with seven punch outs.

The offense, meanwhile, started to rally. From innings 2-4, Arizona racked up five runs on seven hits and five walks. By the end of the fourth inning, every hitter in the D-backs’ lineup had reached base safely. The Giants yanked starter Mason Black after 2.2 innings.

Pavin Smith broke the game open in the eighth inning with a pinch-hit, three-run shot to the pool to take an 8-2 lead.

The third inning was key. Arizona just took a 3-1 lead, and Gallen got the offense right back to work with a nine-pitch, 1-2-3 frame. The D-backs extended the lead to 4-1, and Gallen was off and cruising.

“To put up a couple runs and have a quick 1-2-3 inning, get right back in the dugout, keep the offense rolling, keep the energy high, all that is so important,” first baseman Christian Walker said.

Gallen finished off seven of his strikeouts with the curveball, which induced 11 whiffs on 17 swings, to which he said, “They just seemed really aggressive at the bottom of the zone, so I was trying to use it to my my advantage.”

The right-hander finished his September with a 2.67 ERA in five starts, all of which resulted in wins. He held the Giants hitless in six shutout innings earlier this month at Oracle Park.

“Proud of the guys for sure. This was a big one.”

Zac Gallen on the D-backs bouncing back. pic.twitter.com/ePh0zFFn3n

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 26, 2024

Gallen (likely) closed his regular season with a solid 3.65 ERA in 148 innings and the D-backs went 18-10 in his starts (he earned a 14-6 record). There was more variance than what we’ve grown accustomed to over the past few seasons — 3.47 ERA in 2023, 2.54 in 2022 — as Gallen sought a certain rhythm all year.

But Wednesday was a game the Diamondbacks frankly had to have, and he — in manager Torey Lovullo and general manager Mike Hazen’s words — was the right guy in the right spot.

“The biggest thing is just pitching to win, not pitching to not lose,” Gallen said. “When you get a tight spot, you can be a little, I don’t want to say timid, but maybe you’re waiting for something to happen. So I’m trying to be on the attack, trying to be aggressive, just take it to them.”

The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves were rained out for both Wednesday and Thursday, so the D-backs picked up a half-game on both Wild Card contenders in the standings. The D-backs and Mets (87-70) are in a virtual tie one game up on the Braves (86-71) entering Thursday.

The Diamondbacks had to get over a gut punch from Sunday’s 10-9 loss in Milwaukee, and the next two days against the Giants were below standard that led the club to this point.

Lovullo addressed the team on Tuesday, noting he thought about screaming at them during an 11-0 loss but thought better of it, and the message came out quite positive from the players’ recollection. Wednesday was much closer to “Diamondbacks baseball” with a clean operation and a lineup that can get on a pitcher with its patience and depth.

There was a weight to the moment felt in the clubhouse, not anxiety but “urgency” popped up postgame from multiple players.

“These matter big time,” Walker said. “I think we had to prove to ourselves to get back on track. We had to find a little confidence, a little swagger. A lot of props to Gallen on the mound tonight, but I think we checked a lot of boxes taking a little bit of load off, and taking some pressure off and remembering how good this offense can be.”

“I feel like there’s just sense of urgency,” Smith added. “You can call it pressure. We know they’re super important, so it’s going to feel a little extra pressure. But just getting out to a good start today, and then Gallen being so dominant took the pressure off a little bit.”

Lovullo described the slate as clean going into the final series of the regular season, which starts Friday against the San Diego Padres. Merrill Kelly will start the opener.

Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke pregame his goal was 90 wins, which requires a series win over the postseason-bound Padres. Doing so would not in itself guarantee a playoff spot, which may not be finalized until Monday when the Mets and Braves have a doubleheader scheduled, but it would put the D-backs in a strong position to hold firm.

A sweep would end any doubt.

“We very much feel like we control our own destiny in here,” Walker said.

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Major League Baseball announced the six rosters for the upcoming Arizona Fall League, which begins on Oct. 7 to showcase and give additional playing time to some of the game’s up-and-coming prospects.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are sending eight farmhands to play for the Salt River Rafters:

– INF Tommy Troy
– LHP Yu-Min Lin
– INF Gino Groover
– RHP Dylan Ray
– LHP Philip Abner
– OF Kristian Robinson
– RHP Kyle Amendt
– RHP Alfred Morillo

Troy will get work in at second base after the D-backs drafted him as a shortstop out of Stanford with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Troy missed more than two months with hamstring issues this season and will use the Fall League to make up the lost reps. He capped his first full professional season with a .288/.378/.462 batting line over his final 30 games with 10 doubles, three homers and nine steals for High-A Hillsboro.

Troy is the No. 5 player in the system and highest-ranked D-backs prospect headed to the AFL, according to MLB Pipeline.

Groover was one of the hottest bats in the system by the end of the year with a .283/.376/.497 slash line and nine homers over his last 30 games between Hillsboro and Double-A Amarillo. He spent three months on the injured list with a wrist injury.

Arizona’s No. 9 prospect, a second-round draft pick from N.C. State in 2023, will get in work at second, third and first base.

Both Lin and Ray also missed time with injuries. Lin, however, put together a strong second half for Double-A Amarillo and even made the jump to Triple-A Reno for one appearance. He threw 4.2 innings with one earned run in his Aces debut on Saturday.

The 21-year-old Taiwanese left-hander with a deep arsenal ended the minor league season with a 2.91 ERA over his final 10 starts.

Ray, a 2022 fourth-round pick, had a 5.03 ERA in 17 starts with Amarillo this season.

Abner, Amendt and Morillo are all primarily relief pitchers. The latter two finished the year with 22 saves. Amendt made it to Reno by August and finished his season with a 2.86 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 44 innings. Abner and Morillo closed the year in Hillsboro.

Robinson, once Arizona’s No. 1 prospect before an off-the-field predicament led to two lost minor league seasons, spent the entire year in Amarillo. The 23-year-old from the Bahamas finished with a .214/.337/.350 batting line, 11 home runs and 10 steals.

Salt River Rafters roster

Introducing your 2024 Salt River Rafters!#azfallleague pic.twitter.com/746qJbzbbx

— MLB’s Arizona Fall League (@MLBazFallLeague) September 25, 2024

The Rafters consist of players from the D-backs, Nationals, Rockies, Twins and Yankees.

– Glendale Desert Dogs: Cardinals, Dodgers, Phillies, Reds, White Sox
– Mesa Solar Sox: Angels, Athletics, Cubs, Rays, Red Sox
– Peoria Javelinas: Braves, Brewers, Mariners, Marlins, Padres
– Scottsdale Scorpions: Blue Jays, Giants, Mets, Pirates, Tigers
– Surprise Saguaros: Astros, Guardians, Orioles, Rangers, Royals

Who are the top prospects in the Arizona Fall League?

Kansas City Royals 2024 first-round pick Jac Caglianone (No. 6 pick) is the highest-ranked prospect going to the AFL this season, No. 15 in the league by MLB Pipeline. He will play for Surprise.

Caglianone was the top two-way player in the nation at Florida, crushing 68 home runs and throwing 148.1 innings on the mound over his last two years at Florida. He only hit in High-A this season after the draft.

San Diego Padres top prospect, catcher Ethan Salas, will play for Peoria, along with Seattle Mariners top two prospects infielders Colt Emerson and Cole Young.

The New York Mets are sending their two best position player prospects in Jett Williams and Drew Gilbert to play for Scottsdale.

MLB announced the rosters for the Arizona Fall League. Here are the Top 100 @MLBPipeline prospects who will be playing: pic.twitter.com/2dArOo6FHC

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) September 25, 2024

Arizona Fall League key dates

Opening Day: Oct. 7 (Surprise at Mesa)

Rafters opener: Oct. 8 vs. Scottsdale

Home Run Derby: Nov. 8

Fall Stars Game: Nov. 9

Play-in Semifinals: Nov. 15

Championship: Nov. 16

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PHOENIX — The past three days of Arizona Diamondbacks baseball entering Wednesday have built up some frustration, capped by an 11-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday that flipped a likely playoff bid to a coin flip.

After the game, manager Torey Lovullo suggested he lit into his team a bit, and on Wednesday, he expanded on what the message was.

“It’s okay to feel the way you’re feeling, it’s okay to think the way you’re thinking, but I bet on you guys,” Lovullo said. “I come in here and I bet on you guys because I love you guys and I care about you guys, but we gotta figure some [expletive] out, and we gotta do it now, there’s no time to waste. I expect your best effort and a focused effort, and I promise you, I will give you mine.”

“We know he cares about us, we got such a great staff taking care of us in so many ways, and so he was just reiterating the care we have for each other and that he’s got confidence to get it done,” Corbin Carroll described.

Lovullo said he has sat in a lot of those talks throughout his career, which he said ranged from a skipper whining and yelling at himself to a much-needed message for the room to absorb. He’s seen toaster ovens flying across and tables flipped over with full spreads on them.

The Diamondbacks still control their path to the postseason with four games left despite the disaster 8-0 blown lead and series loss to San Francisco. Arizona entered Wednesday in the third NL Wild Card spot, a half-game up on the Atlanta Braves.

“I just wanted them to know where we were, and I wanted our footing to be solid because we’re okay,” Lovullo said. “We’re gonna be just fine. I could have been critical. I could have blasted off on them. I’ve been in that range. It’s ugly. But I chose not to do that because nobody needed to be ripped into. With four days to go, I didn’t need to start pinpointing guys and targeting guys.”

The Diamondbacks have four games remaining, and manager Torey Lovullo shared his general message to the club after last night’s loss. pic.twitter.com/baqYUZYiGO

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 26, 2024

First pitch on Wednesday between the Diamondbacks and Giants is at 6:40 p.m. on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.

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PHOENIX — The final two games of the New York Mets at Atlanta Braves series Wednesday and Thursday, critical to the National League Wild Card race in the final week of the season, have been postponed with storm weather bearing down.

The two games will be rescheduled for a Monday traditional doubleheader starting at 10:10 a.m., the day after the regular season ends and before the Wild Card Series begins.

With this development, it is possible, if not likely, the Arizona Diamondbacks won’t know whether they make the postseason until Monday night, after their season finale against the San Diego Padres on Sunday.

The D-backs (87-71), Mets (87-70) and Braves (86-71) are all in a battle for the final two Wild Card spots, separated by one game.

pic.twitter.com/0m81QiZzdN

— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) September 25, 2024

Arizona does not own the tiebreaker against either the Mets or the Braves and needs to be at least one game ahead of either NL East club to clinch. The D-backs control their own destiny for four games left, considering the Braves and Mets cannot both win out.

The Mets have three games at the NL Central-winning Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend, while the Braves are scheduled to host the AL Wild Card-contending Kansas City Royals starting Friday.

The Padres have the top Wild Card spot nearly locked up at 91-66, but they are in a race for the NL West two games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“Clearly we’re aware of it, and it doesn’t make a difference to me,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said.

“I can honestly say I’m so concerned about what we’re able to do in our dugout and in our clubhouse to go out and perform the best way we know how. And that’s what I continue to talk to these guys about, put it on us, take care of what we do best and control what we can control. If it gets to that point on Monday, of course we’re going to be watching, but we’ve got four games to go and we just got to continue to play hungry baseball.”

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, if the D-backs are are eliminated before Monday, it will be at commissioner Rob Manfred’s discretion to play the doubleheader for seeding.

Atlanta is already in a Tropical Storm Warning with rain and wind as Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall Thursday night in Florida.

The Braves and Mets both had this past Monday off with a hurricane in the upcoming forecast.

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It’s no surprise a guy who built the roster would believe in it, especially coming off a World Series appearance last year with a quite similar roster.

But Hazen has too often found himself speaking on his belief in theoreticals — and with a worry that the playoffs might not become reality. That is the case with four games left in the season and the team on a three-game skid.

“Quite frankly, if you’re going to plan to run through October and play the elite teams on the road and beat ’em, you have to play better baseball. We have to start doing that, no matter what, starting today,” Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Wednesday.

Arizona opened the day a half-game up on the Atlanta Braves for the third and final NL Wild Card slot. They have one game left Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants before a three-game set to close the season at Chase Field against the San Diego Padres.

San Diego is currently still in reach of nabbing NL West division title and is in a series against the leader, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Meanwhile, the Braves and New York Mets are facing off with two games left in that set, but rainy weather from a hurricane will postpone both games to Monday.

The D-backs found themselves stumbling nervously in hopes of securing a playoff berth last year. They didn’t clinch until Oct. 1, 2023, to close the regular season. Arizona lost to the Houston Astros but got in that day when the Cincinnati Reds lost to the St. Louis Cardinals.

“We’ve done this before, unfortunately,” Hazen said nearly a year later. “This wasn’t how anybody wanted to draw it up.

“My hope is that we’re going to win 90 games. Hope, what does that matter?” he added. “The talent that goes out on the field that goes out and executes is what matters. We do have that. … We don’t just have good players — we have elite players, and you win with elite players in this league. I’m not saying we’re clicking on elite levels at all times … we have that elite talent and we have some experience now. … We’ve been here, we’ve seen this and we have talented players.”

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Jake Cronenworth hit an early two-run homer for the streaking Padres, assured at least a National League wild card with five games left in the regular season. They moved within two games of Los Angeles, with two games remaining in their critical series at Dodger Stadium.

After the Dodgers scored once in the ninth inning, they had runners at first and second when Miguel Rojas hit a sharp grounder to Machado at third base. He stepped on the bag and went around the horn for a triple play that ended it.

San Diego’s celebration was delayed when the Dodgers challenged the out call at second base, but the ruling was upheld following a replay review.

The second-place Padres have won four in a row and nine of 10. San Diego owns the tiebreaker against Los Angeles with an 8-3 record in head-to-head matchups.

The Dodgers’ magic number remained four to clinch the division title.

San Diego’s four runs came with two outs in front of 50,369 fans who created a playoff atmosphere for the opener of the huge three-game series. They chanted “MVP! MVP!” at Shohei Ohtani while mercilessly booing Fernando Tatis Jr. and Machado, a former Dodger.

Cronenworth had no RBIs in September until producing three against the Padres’ biggest rivals, including his 12th career homer against the Dodgers. He had been without an extra-base hit in his previous 50 at-bats.

Padres starter Michael King (13-9) allowed one unearned run and three hits in five innings. The right-hander struck out three and walked two.

San Diego extended its lead to 4-1 in the fourth on Xander Bogaerts’ RBI single and Cronenworth’s RBI double.

The Dodgers got on the board in the first on Bogaerts’ throwing error at shortstop that scored Ohtani, who led off with a ground-rule double on the first pitch he saw. It was his 95th extra-base hit of the season, a franchise record.

Mookie Betts was safe at first when Bogaerts’ throw on a routine grounder went into the Padres’ dugout, allowing Betts to take second.

Rookie starter Landon Knack (3-5) gave up four runs and five hits in four innings for Los Angeles. He struck out four and walked one.

The right-hander unraveled in the fourth, when he needed 39 pitches after throwing just 38 through the first three innings. Knack had a balk and a wild pitch, and the Padres stole a base in the inning.

The Dodgers left the bases loaded in the second when Betts struck out swinging.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: Transferred RHP Gavin Stone (right shoulder) to the 60-day IL. … LHP Anthony Banda (broken left hand) threw a bullpen and is on track to return in the next couple of days. … LHP Clayton Kershaw (toe) won’t face hitters this week.

UP NEXT

Padres: RHP Dylan Cease (14-11, 3.42 ERA) makes his final start before the postseason.

Dodgers: RHP Jack Flaherty (13-7, 3.10) is limiting opposing hitters to a .233 average.

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks were crushed by the San Francisco Giants 11-0 on Tuesday, dropping a home series against a .500 ballclub while clinging onto a Wild Card spot in the final week of the regular season.

The two straight losses to San Francisco further muck up Arizona’s path to the postseason at a half-game back of the New York Mets for the second Wild Card spot and a half-game up (tied in the loss column) with the Atlanta Braves for the third slot.

The D-backs (87-71) still control their own destiny with four games left, but the pressure is on to turn the page quickly after three straight defeats, including the 8-0 blown lead Sunday in Milwaukee.

“Usually I try to filter things the right way, come up with something that’s gonna sound a little bit positive, but I don’t think there’s much positive that came from this game,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “I don’t want to sit here and hammer away at things, because you guys saw what I saw.

“We got to play better baseball. We got to play more focused baseball. It’s all built off pitching, that makes the game look crisp and gets the flow and keeps everybody engaged when you’re attacking the zone.”

Lovullo’s response to a question about reading the Riot Act to his club: “I probably just did it.”

D-backs starter Brandon Pfaadt followed up a complete gem in Milwaukee with a dud, lasting 2.2 innings and giving up five runs (four earned) on a pair of crushed home runs by Patrick Bailey and Michael Conforto. Mike Yastrzemski nearly hit a three-run shot of his own, but Corbin Carroll robbed him at the fence.

Make that two of Pfaadt’s last three starts in which he failed to get out of the third inning and three straight Diamondbacks starts that ended before the fifth frame concluded.

“I think at the beginning of this year we talked about being consistent. That hasn’t been the case lately,” Pfaadt said. “We’re just going to flush those two outings and move on, and if we’re called upon to pitch that last game, then we’ll be ready.”

Blake Walston did not fare well either, giving up another three homers in relief. The Giants had All-Star Logan Webb, who has given the D-backs fits before, on the bump, and he threw six scoreless innings. Webb delivered 13 shutout frames against Arizona this season.

Consistent quality pitching has been an issue all season for the Diamondbacks, from the injury-plagued first four months to a disappointing output since the rotation became whole in August. The team ERA is 4.66 overall, which ranks No. 27 in MLB ahead of the bottom-dwelling Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies. Looking at only September, the team ERA was dead last before Tuesday’s game at 5.61 — 4.91 from starters and 6.58 from relievers.

The D-backs came into Tuesday with a 73.1% chance to make the postseason, per FanGraphs projections. The Braves defeated the Mets 5-1 on Tuesday, knocking Arizona’s probability to 67.8%. By the end of the night, those odds dropped to 53%. Take the numbers for what they are, but they show a visual that the path is getting narrower.

“Ultimately, it comes down to these guys linking up 26 strong and saying this is go time,” Lovullo said. “I’ve said it last year, you gotta stay connected. When you’re connected, you’re dangerous. These guys are connected, but we haven’t had great results. I think there’s a little bit of frustration that’s been building inside of this clubhouse for the past couple days.”

The Diamondbacks, as Carroll pointed out, have been through extreme waves of ups and downs this season, showing a resilience that pushed them past an injury-marred first half where .500 seemed elusive and building the top-scoring offense in the league.

“I think everything this team’s been through this year — there’s been plenty of lulls, there’s been plenty of great runs with great stretches — I just think all of it adds up to a team that’s able to keep some level-headedness, regardless of the situation,” Carroll said. “I’ve just got confidence in us as a team to go out there and be able to just put our best effort.”

Arizona’s odds sat as high as 96.8% after the D-backs swept Boston for their sixth straight win a month ago, but since then the Diamondbacks have put up a mediocre 12-15 record while other wild card teams have made up ground, particularly the Mets, who are 19-7 since then.

The NL Wild Card race is very different from last year in terms of win totals. The 2024 D-backs have three more wins than the 2023 D-backs with four games to play. Yet this time, the race may be to 90 wins, which is hard enough to do without giving up six runs per game.

The Mets and Braves have two more games this week, which helps to an extent. Both NL East clubs own the tiebreaker over Arizona. The San Diego Padres, who finish the season at Chase Field, clinched a postseason berth on Tuesday and sit two games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West. The D-backs may get a Padres squad that is going all-out for the division on Friday — San Diego defeated Los Angeles Tuesday on a game-ending triple play.

“There’s no two ways to look at it, we want to play postseason ball, and in order to do that, we got to take care of business in these next four games,” Carroll said. “Got to leave it all out there. That’s what we plan to do.”

As hard as it can be to find silver linings in a blowout loss, the D-backs are set up very well for Wednesday. Zac Gallen gets the start and needs to be the stopper. Arizona’s positive-role bullpen has had a couple days rest. The Giants, who have won seven of eight games, are turning to right-hander Mason Black, who has a 5.88 ERA this season.

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“Felt good to come out swinging and get some runs early,” Harris said. “That’s what we did tonight. Pitching was phenomenal from Schwellenbach. We just have to come out and do the same thing the next two days.”

Marcell Ozuna added his 39th home run for Atlanta, which trails the Mets by one game in the National League playoff race with five remaining. New York began the night a half-game ahead of Arizona for the second of three wild cards, while the Braves were 1 1/2 games behind the Diamondbacks.

Arizona hosted San Francisco in a later start.

Schwellenbach (8-7) threw seven strong innings, giving up one run and three hits with four strikeouts. He allowed one run and five hits while striking out 15 batters over 14 innings in two wins against the Mets this season.

“The juices were definitely flowing,” Schwellenbach said. “This is basically the playoffs for us. We need wins.”

Harris finished a triple shy of the cycle and has 13 hits in his last five games. He also made a diving catch in center field to rob Mets rookie Luisangel Acuña of a base hit.

“Good timing,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker. “It is the right time of year to get hot.”

Acuña was playing his first major league game in front of older brother Ronald Acuña Jr., who watched from the Atlanta dugout. The star Braves outfielder and reigning NL MVP is out for the season with a knee injury. The siblings exchanged jerseys before the game.

Luis Severino (11-7) took the loss, giving up four runs in four innings. He permitted seven hits and a walk while striking out five.

New York was coming off a 6-1 homestand.

Mark Vientos hit his 26th home run for the Mets, and Jose Iglesias extended his hitting streak to 17 games.

“We still have a chance to win a series here,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We didn’t play well. We didn’t make a play a couple of times. We missed a cutoff man one time. We’ve got to turn the page. I know it is going to be a story because it is here in Atlanta. We’ve got to go out and do it.”

The Braves pushed across three runs in the third, when Harris doubled home Orlando Arcia and then scored on a single from Ozzie Albies. With two outs, Ramón Laureano knocked in Albies with a soft single.

Harris extended the lead to 4-0 with a 422-foot homer to left field in the fourth, and Ozuna’s shot made it 5-0 in the fifth.

Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Helene are forecast for the Atlanta area on Wednesday and Thursday, which might make it difficult to get the games in and could potentially force a makeup situation next Monday, one day after the regular season is scheduled to be completed. The Mets are at Milwaukee starting Friday, and the Braves will host the Royals.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mets: Star shortstop Francisco Lindor missed his eighth straight game with a sore back. He worked out beforehand and was available to pinch hit. Lindor was on deck when the game ended, and Mendoza said the switch-hitter “could be in play for (Wednesday).” Lindor had a bone scan Monday that revealed no structural damage to his back.

Braves: 3B Austin Riley was ruled out for the year after a CT scan Monday showed his broken right hand had not healed sufficiently. Riley was hit by a pitch on Aug. 18 and initially ruled out for six to eight weeks, leaving some hope he could return for the postseason if the Braves make it. … Snitker said RHP Reynaldo López threw a side session and could be activated from the injured list this week. He is eligible to return Thursday.

UP NEXT

Weather permitting, Mets LHP David Peterson (9-3, 3.08 ERA) will face LHP Chris Sale (18-3, 2.38) in the middle game of the series Wednesday night.

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In the top of the second inning, D-backs starter Brandon Pfaadt allowed a solo homer and then two Giants to reach base before Mike Yastrzemski hit a deep fly ball to right-center.

Carroll tracked it well, called off center fielder Jake McCarthy and timed his jump to take away what would have been an early 4-0 San Francisco advantage.

Corbin Carroll brings back a 3-run homer! 😱 pic.twitter.com/Xs9YmqZxIy

— MLB (@MLB) September 25, 2024

The D-backs, however, could not build off Carroll’s incredible play.

The next inning, San Francisco again got two runners on quickly against Pfaadt and this time a deep fly ball by Michael Conforto would be a three-run homer to get back that 4-0 lead Carroll took away. After a walk and a groundout, Arizona pulled Pfaadt after just 2.2 innings pitched. Reliever Blake Walston then gave up his own three-run homer to make it 7-0 Giants.

San Francisco added an additional run in the fourth, two more in the fifth an another in the eighth.

The D-backs only mustered six hits and two walks on offense. They were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks’ batting order Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants returned to normalcy with second baseman Ketel Marte, left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and catcher Gabriel Moreno back in against All-Star starter Logan Webb.

The D-backs entered Tuesday’s slate 1.5 games up on the Atlanta Braves for the third Wild Card spot after losing Monday’s opener to San Francisco 6-3. Only five games remain.

Marte was absent from the lineup on Monday as he and club continues to manage his left ankle, which has left lingering discomfort following a high-ankle sprain that cost him the better part of August. He pinch hit on Monday but struck out in the eighth inning.

Torey Lovullo, Ketel Marte find understanding

The veteran said postgame he asked for the day off to be sharp for the final five games and potentially beyond. Manager Torey Lovullo appreciated Marte speaking up after Lovullo fell on the sword before first pitch, noting Marte was in a dangerous spot and overdue for a day off his feet.

“I just appreciated Ketel yesterday speaking up postgame, kind of had my back which I really appreciated,” Lovullo said. “When an athlete comes to me, and I’ve had an eight-year relationship with Ketel, and he says, ‘I need a day off tomorrow, I am not going to be any good and I’m going to hurt the team if I play tomorrow,’ how do you take that?

“I’m always going to protect the player, for sure … I’ll never come up here and slash a player ever, ever, ever. And I think Ketel knew that.”

Lovullo highlighted the understanding they have built over the years. The plan, Lovullo and Marte both said, is to be full-go the rest of the way with a smaller window for error in the Wild Card race than before.

The offense did not get a whole lot going without Marte, finishing Monday’s game with seven hits and eight men left on base. Kevin Newman, who started at second base, went 0-for-3.

Marte is back to hitting second behind Corbin Carroll on Tuesday.

Gabriel Moreno, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. jump back in

Moreno exited Sunday’s game with left adductor tightness, the same area at which a strain cost him nearly six weeks on the IL. After having an MRI and missing Monday’s game, Moreno is good to go. He was available off the bench Monday and will bat eighth on Tuesday.

Finally, Gurriel, who returned from a near-three-week IL stint on Friday, did not start Monday as they work him back from his calf strain. Gurriel is in left field and hitting fifth.

Tuesday’s batting order mimics Arizona’s likely postseason squad against a right-handed pitcher.

“You’re going to see us go full throttle,” Lovullo said. “These guys want to play the rest of the way. That was the agreement we had. We put that in place.”

Ryne Nelson an option for the weekend

Starter Ryne Nelson threw a bullpen at Chase Field on Tuesday as he nears his eligible return date from the IL (right shoulder inflammation). Merrill Kelly is starting on Friday against the San Diego Padres, and from there the D-backs have decisions to make for the last two games of the regular season based on Nelson’s availability to start or work from the bullpen.

“We’ll put it all into our search engine and find out what his pitch count is and where he’s at,” Lovullo said. “We’re still in discussions. I’ll let Nelly know, and then keep you guys informed.”

The decisions will be closer to finalized by the end of the Giants series on Wednesday.

Business as usual

Lovullo said the feel around the clubhouse has been pretty normal despite the urgency of the moment with the postseason so close.

He overheard the players marveling over what Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen accomplished for fantasy football and other everyday conversations from the team.

“Normal. I’m a veteran, and the excitement level is the same every day,” Marte said Monday.

“I don’t think it’s any different than it has been,” Jake McCarthy said Monday. “I think when you have that mentality every day, you don’t have to turn it on for this time of year.”

Lovullo said there were lessons learned from last season, when Arizona was in essentially the same spot in the final week. On this day in 2023, the D-backs had the second Wild Card spot and a half-game lead over the Chicago Cubs. The Miami Marlins were one game behind Chicago.

“We’re all curious about what’s going to happen day-by-day, but at the end of it, all we can control is what we’re doing in our space,” Lovullo said. “Want everybody to go out and be the best version of themselves … You can’t worry about Scenario A, Scenario B, Scenario C.”

Diamondbacks’ lineup vs. Giants

Game 158.https://t.co/epBmrbYHsx | https://t.co/k9Xjx1ui6d pic.twitter.com/xTZEGEGhAt

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) September 24, 2024

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