PHOENIX — Corbin Carroll rescued Arizona's season with one swing Monday night, hitting a two-run homer with one out in the ninth inning to lift the Arizona Diamondbacks to an 8-7 walk-off win over the Miami Marlins at Chase Field.
Carroll launched a 2-1 splitter from rookie right-hander Jack Ralston 423 feet into the right-field seats at 108.4 mph off the bat after veteran closer Pete Fairbanks was forced out of the game with an injury. It was Arizona's ninth walk-off win of the season. "I don't even know where to start, other than I think really good players do really good things. They have an understanding of the situation and executing at a very high level at the most critical moments," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said.
The victory keeps Arizona within 2 ½ games of the sizzling San Diego Padres for the National League's third and final wild-card spot with 11 games remaining in its bid to reach the postseason for the first time since its 2023 World Series run. Carroll, dealing with a strained back that has limited him to a .184 average in September, missed two games last week, underwent an MRI and was dropped to fifth in the batting order. "Obviously, this is right down to crunch time ... These are the games that we dream about playing at the beginning of the season. Meaningful games in September," Carroll said. Arizona overcame deficits of 3-0, 5-3 and 7-4.
Corbin Burnes made his second start since his return and his first at home since June 1, 2025, giving up five runs — including two homers — in 4 2/3 innings. It was an improvement over his season debut last week in Kansas City, but he still struggled to locate his cutter. Burnes, who won the Cy Young Award in 2021 and had five consecutive top-10 Cy Young finishes, struck out four and generated 14 swings and misses on 75 pitches. The Marlins couldn't touch his changeup but whiffed just twice against the cutter. "He's just not the same right now," one veteran scout in attendance said. "His arm strength isn't there yet." Burnes added: "I mean, everything's under a microscope, right? Usually, you get five, six [outings] in spring training to work through some stuff and build that intensity for opening day. But when you got to come back in the middle of it in September, everything's got to be sharp and crisp."
Arizona is three games back in the loss column to San Diego with the powerful New York Yankees arriving for a three-game series after the Marlins leave town. Burnes is scheduled to make two more regular-season starts, including against the Yankees this weekend. The Diamondbacks close the season with a three-game series against the Padres at Petco Park — if they are within three games, a sweep would put them in the playoffs, likely with a first-round matchup against Atlanta. San Diego has reeled off a season-long eight-game winning streak; it has been eight years since Arizona had a seven-game winning streak. "To be in the middle of a pennant race and you have Corbin Burnes to pencil into the lineup, that's a manager's dream," Lovullo said. "It really doesn't matter what they [the Padres] do," Burnes said. "If we win every game, we're in, no matter how many we get out, as long as we get within three."