With their offense stalling and the San Diego Padres surging, the Arizona Diamondbacks face a do-or-die moment against the New York Yankees.
The San Diego Padres magic number is down to four, and that's horrific news for Arizona Diamondbacks fans.
While the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies suddenly have the same record as the Padres, the D-backs know they can't rely on either of those teams to continue to struggle down the stretch.
With a crucial three-game slate lined up against the Padres to end the season, the D-backs must first get to a point where those games still matter.
After dropping their third straight game, Arizona is in trouble. They've now lost six of their last eight games, and at this point, any other loss is going to put them in an even bigger hole.
Padres are 9-1 in their last 10 games
The Padres have lost just two games going back to Sept. 4, so to say this team is red-hot would be an understatement.
They've outscored their opponents 26-7 in their last three games, and while they have a crucial series against the Los Angeles Dodgers from Sept. 22-24, it's not like San Diego getting swept is that likely an outcome.
Any combination of four Padres wins and Diamondbacks losses will secure a postseason spot for San Diego, and with the D-backs being five games back, that could suddenly happen much sooner than expected.
Diamondbacks' chances against the Cubs and Phillies
Arizona's first order of business is winning games. They just lost 9-2 to the New York Yankees, and their offense has failed to score more than three runs in three straight games.
With three games at Coors Field loading, one would expect the D-backs to take care of business against the Colorado Rockies, but not even those wins are guaranteed with the way this team has been playing.
The playoff picture is simple: Arizona will be eliminated if they don't start winning games. The Cubs and Phillies once had a huge lead on the Padres, but that has quickly disappeared. Suddenly, there's a scenario where the Padres and D-backs are both in the playoffs, but that's going to take a flawless final eight games for Arizona.
The Diamondbacks are just 2-5 in their final nine-game homestand of the year. These next two games against the Yankees will undoubtedly define their season, and a pair of losses will all but seal their fate, as they could head into their off day on September 21 as many as seven games back, with each team having only six games remaining.
