The Arizona Diamondbacks had a dominant road trip last week, going 4-2. They were nipping at the heels of the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card race, and with a nine-game homestand about to start, D-Backs fans were expecting nothing less than a playoff berth. The team, though, made things difficult with their 4-3 loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.

The Diamondbacks’ Wild Card position was made worse by the Padres’ latest win over the Colorado Rockies. The D-Backs are currently 3.5 games behind the Padres, and with just nine games left, the clock is ticking. Manager Torey Lovullo didn’t hide the pressure as his team remains in the thick of the NL Wild Card hunt for the fourth straight season.

“It was another tough loss. We continue to fight hard. These guys give an unbelievable effort. They’re engaged. We kept creating some opportunities and built some innings early; just couldn’t get that big knock… And all the way up until that final inning, I think the group inside of that dugout and every coach felt like we were gonna be able to put another point on the board and get into extra innings,” Lovullo said, per Arizona Sports on X, after their loss on Wednesday.

“Everybody just grinded out. They did what they had to do to push it forward, and they did a good job of scoreless baseball. But the damage had been done early enough in the game, and they hung on. So, the team and I, we are very well aware of what’s going on. We know we are in an absolute dogfight, and every game matters. So, we gotta get some balance back. We gotta find a way to win a baseball game.”

The Diamondbacks on Wednesday clearly had two different versions showcased. One until the third inning and one after that.

The Marlins added four runs by the third off the D-Backs starter Merrill Kelly. However, three homers from Gabriel Moreno, Nolan Arenado, and Pavin Smith in the second, fifth, and eighth put the Diamondbacks up for another walk-off win, something that had already happened on Monday. Corbin Carroll’s one-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning resulted in the Diamondbacks walking off the Marlins 8-7. The same didn’t happen on Wednesday.

The Marlins brought in Sandy Alcantara in the ninth after he threw 100+ pitches in the previous game, and that may have derailed the Diamondbacks’ ninth-inning plan.

“I was [surprised],” Lovullo said. “I just know that’s an elite arm, an elite starting pitcher, and I was a little bit confused, but to each their own. They won the baseball game.”

The Diamondbacks couldn’t fight back until their final two outs. Lars Nootbaar drew a walk, and Jordan Lawlar came in as his pinch-runner. Ketel Marte came to the plate, but as Lawlar attempted to steal second, he was thrown out, ending the game.

So, while Lovullo could take pride in how his team restricted the Marlins after the third inning, the loss was their fourth in their last five games.

In the remaining nine games, the Diamondbacks will play a three-game series against the Padres, which could conclude the Wild Card race, but before that, Lovullo needs to overcome the New York Yankees challenge. Apart from winning their homestand against the Yankees, the Diamondbacks would hope the Padres stumble against opponents like the Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Lovullo acknowledged that his team was in a dogfight. One more miss and the 2026 season will come to an end.

The Yankees could prove too heavy for the Diamondbacks

“We know the Yankees are gonna come, come into town, and this place is gonna be rocking, and I’m excited to start that series. But we gotta digest a few things. We gotta, we gotta find a way to impact the baseball, create some contact at some critical moments. We’ve gotta run the bases a little bit better. We need to pick up the baseball. We need to just play clean baseball in all areas,” Lovullo is confident about facing the Yankees.

It may seem like the Yankees would go easy on the D-Backs as they secured their playoff berth, but the reality is different. The Yankees still need to win to chase down the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East division title and secure a first-round playoff bye. Winning against the Diamondbacks would push them further toward the AL East title, which would help them bypass the grueling best-of-three Wild Card round and earn an automatic bye to the ALDS.

The Yankees are currently ranked second in home runs (209). In comparison, the Diamondbacks are ranked 27th with 154 homers. Hence, the rotation needs to lead the charge against the Yankees.

“Yeah, I’d imagine that this is the rotation you’re looking at for the rest of the season,” Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen said.

The Yankees series would prove if Hazen is right and if Arizona is going to the postseason or not.