The Arizona Diamondbacks’ end-of-season collapse continued on Friday with a 9-2 series-opening loss against the New York Yankees.

With the loss, Arizona’s chances of earning a postseason spot become bleaker. What happened?

The 2026 Major League Baseball season has not been a good one for the Diamondbacks’ starting rotation and their pitching staff at large, but Eduardo Rodriguez has been a bright spot.

On Friday, the light he usually provides was snuffed out.

Rodriguez got his 31st starting nod of the season, and after Arizona had dropped its last two series at home, it needed a steadying presence inside Chase Field. Rodriguez could have provided that. Instead, he allowed a five-run first inning.

Rodriguez opened the game by walking Paul Goldschmidt before giving up a single and another walk to load the bases. Then, he walked Ben Rice that put the Yankees’ first run on the board.

Subsequently, he gave up an RBI single before finally notching his first strikeout. The situation got worse, though, as Rodriguez let a wild pitch go that scored another run for New York. 

With a 3-0 deficit on his hands, Rodriguez gave up a two-RBI single to Geroge Lombard Jr. before finishing the inning with back-to-back strikeouts. But it hardly mattered, as the Yankees led 5-0.

Despite the early meltdown by Rodriguez, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo kept him on the mound, and he got through the second inning unscathed.

It seemed as if Arizona was building some momentum in the bottom of the second inning when Corbin Carroll hit a two-run home run to make it a 5-2 game, but Rodriguez opened the third inning by giving up a leadoff solo home run to Rice.

Still, Rodriguez remained on the mound, and he earned three straight outs to end the inning. He also pushed through the fourth without allowing any runs, but the Diamondbacks could not get back on the board.

Rodriguez also put together a scoreless fifth inning in which he retired the Yankees’ side, but they got after him again in the top of the sixth when he allowed a solo home run to Lombard Jr.

With Arizona trailing 7-2, Lovullo finally pulled the plug on Rodriguez’s start. Over 5.1 innings of work, Rodriguez allowed seven hits, seven earned runs and four walks while striking out two batters. 

At times, it seemed like he got it together. But ultimately, he could not overcome his egregious first-inning performance. 

For the Diamondbacks, the two-run homer by Carroll ended up being the only way they could put runs on the board.

Overall, it was a bad night for Arizona’s hitters, as they went 7-for-34 at the plate with 11 strikeouts. The Diamondbacks have now lost three games in a row and are 2-5 in a nine-game homestand that was critical for their chances of punching their ticket as a Wild Card team.

Now, the San Diego Padres lead Arizona by five games in the National League Wild Card race. Barring a massive surge by the Diamondbacks and a collapse by the Padres, it seems like the former’s chances to play in October are just about finished.