PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks are heading to the postseason for the first time since 2017 with the loss of the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.
They are the sixth and final National League team to clinch a berth.
On Friday, in what was the Diamondbacks' third-to-last game of the season, they failed to guarantee their postseason aspirations with a 2-1 loss against the Houston Astros.
Because of the loss, the D-Backs still must win one game in the current series to secure their postseason fate.
What's important to note are the teams below the Diamondbacks fighting for their own playoff lives. The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds are 1.5 games behind the Miami Marlins, who currently hold the third and final Wild Card spot. The Diamondbacks are in second, just 0.5 games ahead of Miami.
A loss by each of the Cubs (82-77) and the Reds (81-78) would make each of them unable to catch Arizona because they’d have only two games left. But since the D-Backs lost, a slip in the NL Wild Card standings is still possible if the other two teams win. The D-backs hold a tiebreaker over the Cubs with a 6-1 record on the year against Chicago.
As it stands Friday night, the Cubs lost their matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers while the Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals.
Tonight's loss affects the D-Backs' pitching rotation for the upcoming postseason. A win Friday night and not later in the series would have given the D-Backs more time to rest their aces in Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen. Arizona could have scratched Kelly on Saturday, meaning he would be able to start Game 1 of the NL Wild Card series with Gallen to take the mound the following day.
Clearly, that is not the case any longer, so it'll be interesting to see which pitcher will take the mound come playoff time. Before that decision can be made the D-Backs still need to handle their job and secure one more victory in the next two games.
Postseason ball comes down to top-tier pitching and Arizona will need their best to have any chance at a deep postseason run. As long as Arizona can win one more game, they will face either the Brewers or Phillies in the NL Wild Card series.
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