Pitcher Brandon Pfaadt reflected on last season’s finish, saying, “We just need a chance to get in and see what happens.” (Photo by Daniella Trujillo/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – The Arizona Diamondbacks ended the 2024 regular season on a high note, pounding the San Diego Padres in their season finale, but it is the pounding that hurricane Helene delivered the southeastern U.S. that might determine their National League wild card fate.
Helene came ashore as a category 4 hurricane, resulting in postponement of two games between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, who now will make those games up in a doubleheader at Truist Park today.
Entering those two games, the path for the Diamondbacks to make the playoffs is simple: If either the Mets or Braves sweep the doubleheader, Arizona is headed to the playoffs for the second straight season.
If the teams split the doubleheader, both are in as wild card teams and the Diamondbacks’ defense of their NL championship is over. The Diamondbacks lose tiebreakers to both the Mets and Braves.
Despite the playoff predicament, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo is proud of how his team battled all season long, ending with the 11-2 victory over the Padres in the finale.
“This game can be challenging sometimes,” Lovullo said. “It’s hard enough as it is, and when you try to do too much, you see what it looks like over the past four or five days.”
Those past few days will be lamented by Diamondbacks followers, who will be left wondering what might have been should the Mets and Braves split. In Arizona’s final two series, both at home against the San Francisco Giants and the Padres, the Diamondbacks went 2-4.
Lovullo said the team plans to gather together to watch the two games Monday and said he believes the Mets and Braves will be playing to win, no matter the results.
“They’re two great franchises, they have two great managers,” Lovullo said. “And I don’t think either have the gene of laying down in either of those games.”
Brandon Pfaadt started on the mound in the Diamondbacks final game, pitching 5 ⅓ innings. He surrendered one run and struck out nine Padres batters.
Pfaadt agreed with Lovullo, and pointed to last season’s results when the Diamondbacks slipped in the backdoor to the postseason, beginning an improbable run to the World Series.
“We’re just going to do what we can control and just watch what happens, and see how it plays out,” Pfaadt said. “We saw last year, we just need a chance to get in and see what happens.
“It’s easy to point out the losses that we should have won It sucks to be in this position, but all you can do now is hope and see if you get in.”
Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez collected three hits, including his 30th home run of the season, to lead Arizona’s offense, which was rarely the issue during an 89-73 season.
The home run gave Suarez his third season of 30 or more home runs and 100 or more RBI.
“I feel so happy right now for the season that I have, for the season that my teammates have,” Suarez said. “For everything we did on the field, we got to feel proud.”
In his first season with the Diamondbacks following a trade with the Seattle Mariners , Suarez played in 158 out of 162 games. Suarez played in all 162 games in 2023 with Seattle.
Although Suarez said the team has much to be proud of, the Diamonds are left to sit and watch one more day of the season while other teams determine whether their season is over or if they’ll travel to Milwaukee to face the Brewers Tuesday.
Lovullo isn’t a fan of the scenario the Diamondbacks are in, but he recognized that they put themselves in there.
“It sucks, but there’s nothing that we can do about it,” Lovullo said. “We made this bed, we got to sleep in it. But we’re going to hope for the best.”
