The Arizona Diamondbacks’ clubhouse is full of tension, just like the heat in the desert in September. And manager Torey Lovullo stands in front of his players with a message that is as heavy as the entire season. With three games left to play, the team is two games behind the wild card and needs every word to count if they want to make the playoffs or watch from home in October.

The Diamondbacks have turned their clubhouse into a place where everyone is focused and determined. Corbin Carroll and other players who fought through sophomore struggles to become comeback candidates are now carrying the hopes of an organization that is two games behind the Mets (82-77). The atmosphere is tense because both veterans and young stars know that their magic number of two means that any combination of Arizona losses or competitor wins will end their impressive post-deadline surge.

So, Lovullo has delivered his urgent message with characteristic directness. “We still are in the race, and these three guys are going to come into San Diego and hopefully help us win some games. The margins are very, very small. We have no extra wiggle room here. We’ve got to go out and basically win the next three days. It’s tough to do. San Diego is a good baseball team, but our guys are hungry.”

Because of recent changes in momentum, Lovullo’s message has even more weight now.

Arizona lost its last two games against the Dodgers after winning three in a row. The San Diego Padres, on the other hand, lost their last game after winning four in a row. Both teams arrive at Petco Park with different objectives.

The Diamondbacks are still hoping to secure a wild-card spot, while San Diego has already clinched a playoff spot but remains behind in the NL West race and needs help from other teams.

The math behind their playoff hopes is not good. Arizona is 80-79, which puts them behind the New York Mets, who are currently in third place in the National League Wild Card race. The Cincinnati Reds are close behind with an 81-78 record, which keeps the D-backs one game behind them. The Reds have important tiebreaker advantages that make them dangerous spoilers. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are in limbo.

If Arizona loses two games or its opponents win two games, their impressive post-deadline surge will end.

While their path is narrow, it’s still possible: They need to beat San Diego and hope that the Mets and Reds both lose their last series against Miami and Milwaukee, respectively.

Diamondbacks’ Gallen carries season’s weight on his shoulders

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ pitching rotation is under a lot of pressure right away because of those harsh mathematical facts. Zac Gallen will pitch on Friday night, and he knows that this could be his last game in a Diamondbacks uniform if the season ends early. The team’s choice to give him more time to rest after he was sick and tired backfired when their bullpen fell apart against Los Angeles on Thursday.

Now, Gallen’s return to form gives Arizona real hope in this must-win situation.

In the last two months, the former ace has given up more than three earned runs only once. His ERA in September was a solid 3.16. In his last game against Philadelphia, he showed vintage form by striking out nine batters in seven strong innings with perfect control.

Yu Darvish is back from the 60-day injured list, but things haven’t gone as planned for him in San Diego. Arizona has already beaten him twice this season, and both times they scored a lot of points. Darvish has eight pitches in his arsenal, but he mostly uses a mid-90s sinker that opponents are only hitting .212 against this year.

But his slider has a big weakness that Arizona could use to stay alive. That pitch has been hit at a .357 clip all season, which is exactly the struggle the Diamondbacks need to keep their playoff hopes alive past Friday night.