The Diamondbacks keep their season alive for just one more day, beating the San Diego Padres 11-2 at Chase Field. The offense, which had disappeared for much of the week, came alive in the fourth inning with six runs to take control of the game. However, with the New York Mets defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 5-0, Arizona will have to wait one more day to find out their postseason fate.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“We did what we had to do,” said manager Torey Lovullo in the postgame coverage on DbacksTV. “We had only one option, go out and play the type of game we ended up playing. This is exactly who we are.”
It was a “do or die” game for the Diamondbacks, as a loss would have meant the end of their season. They will need either the Atlanta Braves or the Mets, who enter a Monday with identical 88-72 records, to sweep the doubleheader to get into the season. If the two teams split, then all three teams will finish with identical 89-73 records and Arizona loses on the first tiebreaker due to losing the season series to both teams.
“It sucks, but there’s nothing we can do about it. We made this bed, we got to sleep in it, but we’re going to hope for the best. I know there are two great franchises, they have two great managers, and I don’t think either have the gene of laying down in either one of those games. That’s my gut feel knowing the players on the teams, knowing the manager, and knowing the franchises. In my gut, they’re going to do it the right way and play their 18 best innings.”
Lovullo didn’t say anything about the team’s plans to watch Monday’s doubleheader, as he found out the Braves lost to the Kansas City Royals in the postgame session.
Trailing 1-0 entering the fourth, the Diamondbacks finally broke through. Eugenio Suárez picked up the team’s first big hit of the series, singling home Christian Walker for his 100th RBI of the season to tie the game. Jake McCarthy and Gabriel Moreno tacked on a run-scoring hit, setting up Ketel Marte to crush a 443-foot home run to blow the game open and chase MartÃn Pérez from the game.
Ketel Marte destroys this baseball to open up a 6-1 lead over the Padres. pic.twitter.com/sZ8iNZKdJW
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) September 29, 2024
“We got a good at-bat,” said Suárez on the on-field postgame interview on DbacksTV. “We know got a chance against MartÃn. We were locked in that inning, we did not try to do too much. We know if we put a good swing or a good at-bat, we got a chance to score.”
The early offense was more than enough to support another solid start from Brandon Pfaadt. Coming off a disastrous start against the Giants on Tuesday, he rebounded with a tremendous effort. He allowed just two runs (one earned) over 5 1/3 innings, allowing just three hits and striking out nine. That’s not too surprising for Pfaadt, who developed a reputation for stepping up in big starts in the previous postseason.
Not content to rest on their laurels after the big inning, Arizona continued to tack on. The big moment of the game came in the bottom of the seventh, as Suárez delivered another big hit. After hitting a home run distance ball foul down the left field line, he got a belt-high fastball from Matt Waldron on the next pitch and crushed it off the batter’s eye for his 30th home run of the season. After mightily struggling for the first three months of the season, he’ll finish the season with a 30 home run, 100 RBI season. His $15 million option for 2025 is virtually a lock to be exercised.
3 months ago, the fans want him gone. Eugenio Suárez will finish the 2024 season with 30 HR and 100 RBI, getting both milestones today. pic.twitter.com/r2yjDsKhZ8
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) September 29, 2024
“I knew it was my chance,” said Suárez. “That was a very special at-bat right there, I put everything together and I just went for a mistake. He made a mistake with a breaking ball and it was able to hit it far foul, but then he tried to come in with a fastball and I was ready. I was ready for a mistake, he threw it right down the middle and I put my best swing on it.”
With the massive lead, the Diamondbacks turned to Ryne Nelson to finish things off. His first appearance since coming off the injured list, he fired three scoreless innings to nail his first career save.
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports.
