After a tough loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday and two of three losses to 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 and leads the Atlanta Braves by just one game. The New York Mets are in second place, but only two of the three will see October.

With the Mets and Braves’ final two games postponed until Monday, it’s possible the Diamondbacks won’t find out their fate until Monday night.

“We’ll wait and see what happens on Monday, but this team is a miracle, the way they bounce back, come together and believe in each other,” Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall said Bickley & Marotta of Arizona Sports on Thursday. “These guys look like themselves and we need them to be themselves on the track.”

Until then, the Diamondbacks will turn all their attention to the San Diego Padres, a team that has already secured an NL Wild Card spot.

The Padres challenged the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West title, but the Padres lost two of three against the Dodgers in their series that ended Thursday, giving the Dodgers their 11th division title in 12 years.

A magic number for the Diamondbacks to secure a postseason spot is three. That means if the Diamondbacks beat the Padres this weekend, they’re in.

But the Padres won’t be an easy task for Arizona, as the Diamondbacks have been trying to reach the postseason in consecutive seasons since 2001-02.

“We hope everyone comes here and plays for something because then our team strengthens,” Hall said. “But we are a better team than last year and the record reflects that.”

Diamondbacks-Padres likely 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 Friday’s series opener against Padres right-hander Yu Darvish.

Kelly has suffered leg cramps 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 battled injuries of his own in 2024, has posted a 3.18 ERA in 15 starts this season.

The probabilities for Saturday and Sunday are 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 behind it. We saw how we could compete with the Padres and we were able to win baseball games,” Lovullo said. “If the series goes very positively, we may make some adjustments to prepare for the postseason.

“There are a lot of contingencies because of the next two days. Your starting point might match and (we) make some adjustments. It could be Kelly, E-Rod, Pfaadt, but we haven’t confirmed that. How things continue from today is very fluid.”

Lovullo continued Arizona Sports Burns & Gambo Friday that Ryne Nelson, who came off the injured list on Thursday, will likely be used as a reserve player for this weekend’s series.

“He has a certain pitch count that we spit out and we feel comfortable putting him in that range,” Lovullo. “Not quite enough to be in the starting eleven yet. We know if the season goes beyond the next three days and we are very confident and energized that we might push it back a bit and get him back in the starting lineup.

“Right now we’ll most likely see him come out of the bullpen, but I want to use every ball I can. I want to use every one of his quality pitches that I can. I remember not too long ago, 16 days ago, he was one of our best pitchers and one of the best pitchers in the National League, so I want to take advantage of that as much as possible.”

Lovullo didn’t 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 over the San Francisco Giants.

“I know Zac. I know when it comes to the final day he’s going to say, ‘Let me come in and throw some fireballs at these guys,'” Lovullo said. “I know how he feels and how he is wired. When we get to this position it will be all hands on deck and that is where we are.

“That’s our mentality. We’re all in it, fighting this together and we all want to go out and do a little more for each other. Not stepping out of our comfort zone, but just being there, being present and committed to each other, and I know Zac certainly fits that mold.

Here’s how to watch Diamondbacks-Padres

All three games will be broadcast on DBACKS.TV on Channel 34 on Cox.

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

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