The Arizona Diamondbacks faced a devastating 11-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, hurting their chances of securing a Wild Card spot as the regular season nears its end. The back-to-back defeats against the Giants, a team hovering around the .500 mark, have complicated Arizona’s playoff path. Currently, the D-backs are half a game behind the New York Mets for the second Wild Card slot and only half a game ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the third, with both teams tied in the loss column.

With just four games remaining, Arizona is still in control of their postseason destiny but is feeling the pressure after losing three straight. Their recent slide includes blowing an 8-0 lead against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, adding to the team’s woes.

Manager Torey Lovullo Addresses the Team’s Struggles

After Tuesday’s defeat, manager Torey Lovullo didn’t shy away from the team’s poor performance. “Usually I try to filter things the right way, come up with something that’s gonna sound a little bit positive, but I don’t think there’s much positive that came from this game,” Lovullo said. “I don’t want to sit here and hammer away at things, because you guys saw what I saw.”

Arizona has struggled with consistency, particularly in pitching. “We got to play better baseball. We got to play more focused baseball,” Lovullo stressed. “It’s all built off pitching. That makes the game look crisp and gets the flow and keeps everybody engaged when you’re attacking the zone.”

When asked if he had delivered a stern message to the team, Lovullo replied, “I probably just did it.”

Pitching Woes Continue for Arizona Diamondbacks

Starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt, who had excelled in his last start, faltered, lasting only 2.2 innings and giving up five runs (four earned). He allowed two home runs to Patrick Bailey and Michael Conforto, and only a spectacular catch by Corbin Carroll at the fence stopped Mike Yastrzemski from adding another. Pfaadt’s second poor performance in his last three starts raises concerns about the team’s rotation with the season winding down.

“We’re just going to flush those two outings and move on,” Pfaadt said. “If we’re called upon to pitch that last game, then we’ll be ready.”

Reliever Blake Walston didn’t fare much better, allowing three more homers. Meanwhile, Giants ace Logan Webb, who has been a thorn in Arizona’s side, threw six scoreless innings. Webb has now tossed 13 shutout frames against the D-backs this season.

Arizona Diamondbacks’ Struggling Pitching Staff

Pitching has been a weak point for Arizona all season. Injuries hurt the rotation early, and even after returning to full strength in August, the D-backs’ team ERA stands at 4.66, ranking 27th in MLB. Their September struggles are even more pronounced, with a league-worst 5.61 ERA—starters have a 4.91 ERA while the bullpen has been disastrous with a 6.58 ERA.

Before Tuesday’s loss, FanGraphs projected the Diamondbacks had a 73.1% chance of making the postseason. However, after the Braves beat the Mets, Arizona’s playoff chances dropped to 67.8%. By the end of the night, those odds plummeted to 53%, illustrating just how quickly their path to October is shrinking.

Lovullo Calls for Team Unity Amid Playoff Push

Lovullo emphasized the need for unity as the team pushes for the postseason: “Ultimately, it comes down to these guys linking up 26 strong and saying this is go time,” Lovullo said. “When you’re connected, you’re dangerous. These guys are connected, but we haven’t had great results. I think there’s a little bit of frustration that’s been building inside of this clubhouse for the past couple days.”

Despite their struggles, Arizona has shown resilience throughout the season. After dealing with early injuries, they managed to become one of the highest-scoring teams in the league. Outfielder Corbin Carroll remains confident that the team can bounce back.

“I think everything this team’s been through this year — there’s been plenty of lulls, there’s been plenty of great runs with great stretches — I just think all of it adds up to a team that’s able to keep some level-headedness, regardless of the situation,” Carroll said. “I’ve just got confidence in us as a team to go out there and be able to just put our best effort.”

Playoff Odds Shrink for Arizona Diamondbacks

A month ago, the D-backs’ postseason chances were as high as 96.8% after sweeping the Boston Red Sox and winning six straight games. However, Arizona has since posted a mediocre 12-15 record, allowing teams like the Mets, who are 19-7 in the same span, to catch up.

Unlike last year’s Wild Card race, this year’s contest is far more competitive, and Arizona may need to hit 90 wins to clinch a spot—no easy task when the team is allowing six runs per game. The Mets and Braves still have two games left this week, and both teams hold the tiebreaker over Arizona, further complicating the Diamondbacks’ postseason path.

To make matters worse, the San Diego Padres, who clinched a playoff spot on Tuesday, will visit Chase Field for the final series of the regular season. The Padres, still in the race for the NL West title, could be playing all out, adding even more pressure to the D-backs’ must-win scenario.

“There’s no two ways to look at it, we want to play postseason ball, and in order to do that, we got to take care of business in these next four games,” Carroll said. “Got to leave it all out there. That’s what we plan to do.”

Zac Gallen Set to Take the Mound

Despite the tough outlook, the D-backs have a chance to turn things around on Wednesday. Ace Zac Gallen will take the mound, hoping to end the losing streak. The bullpen, well-rested after a few days off, is ready, and the Giants will start right-hander Mason Black, who has struggled this season with a 5.88 ERA.

With their playoff hopes on the line, Arizona’s path to October is narrowing, but there’s still time to make a comeback.