PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks have won five straight games to stay alive in the National League Wild Card race, entering a season-defining three-game series against the San Diego Padres on Friday at 9:40 p.m. ET at 85-74, two games behind the Philadelphia Phillies (87-72) for the final spot. Arizona holds the tiebreaker between the clubs after they split six head-to-head meetings this season, with the D-backs owning the superior intra-divisional record, the second tiebreaker.
Brandon Pfaadt will start the opener for Arizona, which rebounded from a series-opening loss to the Yankees last Friday with five consecutive wins including a sweep of the Colorado Rockies earlier this week. Philadelphia hosts the Tampa Bay Rays for three games with left-hander Cristopher Sánchez slated for Friday's opener, and the Phillies will secure a postseason berth for a fifth consecutive season with two wins in the series. The Phillies have lost two in a row and are 5-5 in their last 10 games, leaving the door ajar, but Arizona does not control its own destiny and must take at least two of three from San Diego — the clubs have split 10 head-to-head matchups this season.
A weather wrinkle could affect the weekend schedule, as a Nor'easter descending on the East Coast is forecast to bring heavy rain to Philadelphia on Saturday and Sunday while Boston is expected to bear the brunt of the storm. The Phillies are scheduled to play Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET and Sunday at 3:05 p.m. ET, games that will most certainly need to be played if the D-backs continue to win and the race remains tight.
Seeding also remains unsettled beyond the final spot. San Diego and Chicago have each punched their ticket to the playoffs but have not secured their seeds, and a three-way tie among the Padres, Cubs and Phillies for the three Wild Card positions remains possible entering the final weekend.