PHOENIX — In about 48 hours, the Arizona Diamondbacks will find themselves in one of three situations. They don’t possess full control over their fate in any case. And each possibility shares a common set of traits. Stress, anxiety, pressure.
Perhaps they salvage an NL wild card bid and with it, the franchise’s second consecutive postseason appearance in 20-plus years. Maybe they miss the playoffs altogether, frittering away the 83.1 percent chance to play in October that Fangraphs assigned them at the start of this week. Or they conclude the weekend not knowing where they stand, turning their attention to Monday’s Mets-Braves doubleheader — unadulterated nightmare fuel for the defending National League champions.
The Diamondbacks’ 5-3 series-opening loss to the Padres on Friday officially knocked them out of playoff position. With two games left in the regular season, they’re locked in a virtual tie with the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves, each of whom own the tiebreaker over them.
“A lot of people are asking me certain questions about the stability of our team, are we OK?” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We’re great. We’re fine.”
After falling behind 4-0 in the top of the first, the Diamondbacks got two runs back in the bottom half, sparked by Corbin Carroll’s 412-foot solo shot. But one of the NL’s most potent offenses failed to complete the comeback against Yu Darvish and the Padres’ lockdown bullpen.
For the Diamondbacks to clinch without needing to sweat out the Mets-Braves doubleheader on Monday, they must win both remaining games against the Padres and then get some help. Either the Mets lose two more to the Brewers or the Braves lose two to the Royals in a scenario that puts the Diamondbacks in the postseason regardless of what happens Monday.
If even one of those outcomes fail to occur, though, the Diamondbacks’ best hope is to have the Mets-Braves doubleheader determine where they land.
Perhaps one of few positives for the Diamondbacks is the Padres clinched wild card home-field advantage Friday, meaning the last two games of their series with the Diamondbacks won’t affect their playoff position.
Lovullo has repeatedly referenced how their unlikely run to the World Series began a season ago, how a 1-0 loss to the Houston Astros in their second-to-last game of the regular season did not matter after a Reds loss clinched a wild card berth for the Diamondbacks. Lovullo’s point: His team overcame tight postseason margins around this time a year ago and they can do it again — but only if they are helped out, again.
A crowd of 43,310 — the eighth-highest attendance at Chase Field this season — watched the Diamondbacks’ fourth defeat in five games. The franchise will record its highest average home attendance since 2008. That’s about all that is certain with two games to go.
Whether the venue’s home team will reward an evidently revived fan base with a wild card berth remains a big TBD.
More likely than not, the Mets or Braves will be the ones responsible either way.
“It was cool to see the fans tonight and see the energy they brought,” reliever Kevin Ginkel said. “Hopefully we can deliver for them.”
(Top photo of manager Torey Lovullo on Saturday: Chris Coduto / Getty Images)
