Diamondbacks catcher James McCann reacts after hitting a two-run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at Chase Field Monday. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
PHOENIX – With the MLB season screeching to an end, the Arizona Diamondbacks can still clinch a spot in the postseason. All summer, they hummed along to stay afloat in the wild card chase, and now each game – each inning, each pitch, each at-bat – feels magnified knowing what is at stake.
On Aug. 1, the Diamondbacks were eight games below .500, and parted ways with fan favorites like Eugenio Suarez and Merrill Kelly, along with multiple other expiring contracts. To some fans, the firesale was the end of the high hopes they had during spring training.
Now, six weeks later and against most odds, the Diamondbacks have put themselves right in the thick of the wild card race. They boast a 26-18 record since the July 31st trade deadline, sixth best in baseball, and remain 1.5 games behind the New York Mets in the wild card with nine games remaining in the regular season.
“It means the world to me,” manager Torey Lovullo said earlier this week about his team’s surge down the stretch.
“They had a chance to choose one road or another, and they stayed on the road they only know and that’s to play engaging baseball, have fun and expect to win games.”
That formula has already resulted in a September series win against division rival San Francisco, with a walk-off victory over the Giants Tuesday night after top prospect Jordan Lawlar slapped a slow roller that allowed Corbin Carroll to sprint home.
But the high from that game dissipated less than 24 hours later when the Diamondbacks suffered a heartbreaking 5-1 loss to the Giants in 11 innings Wednesday afternoon, wasting starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt’s one-hit shutout gem over nine innings.
Pfaadt’s performance was breathtaking as he became just the 18th pitcher in MLB history to toss at least nine scoreless, one-hit innings, yet not earn the win. Pfaadt has had a rocky 2025 campaign, but is starting to bring his best stuff in September. His 2.71 ERA this month is his lowest since April.
If the Diamondbacks want to stay alive in the pennant race, they will need to keep seeing production from unusual places and faces.
“I think we have a good nucleus, a core group of guys, and they spread (that confidence) and understand ‘I just need to go out there and take care of my business and know my brother will (be) next to me’ and we’re going to be fine,” Lovullo said.
Following the emotional series with the Giants, the Diamondbacks barely have time to blink. They welcome the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies to Chase Field for a three-game series beginning Friday, followed by a home stint against the NL West division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers before wrapping up the regular season in San Diego.
This last month has featured strong impacts from players like catcher James McCann, infielder Lawlar and pitcher John Curtiss. Afterthoughts to most at the beginning of the season, or not even thought of at all, the trio are playing their best and clutchest baseball at the right time.
“We aren’t being reliant on certain swings or one pitcher,” outfielder Alek Thomas said.“It’s been cool to see guys come up and contribute for us, and we’ve made some acquisitions to get guys that needed an opportunity and now they’re making the most of it.”
McCann sat in free agency until late June when he got the call to join the Diamondbacks. After five games in September, he is hitting .333 with two home runs and six RBI following Wednesday’s game against the Giants. Curtiss, a reliever, signed a minor league deal in the spring and had not looked back since being called up in June – until the Giants smashed three hits off him in the 11th inning of Wednesday’s collapse.
Curtiss’ ERA, before he gave up four runs Wednesday, was south of 3.00 deep into September. He gave up his first run since August 31. After going up and down from Triple A this season, Lawlar has yet to really find his footing at the major league level, but a walk-off hit and steady at-bats the rest of the season can only grow his confidence this late in the year.
The sentiment around the clubhouse has echoed over and over again no matter who you hear it from. It’s been a collective effort for this roller coaster of a season.
“It’s been a different person in the lineup stepping up in a big way, and that’s special to see,” McCann said. “And then that bullpen coming out, you’ve got different guys stepping up in different roles they aren’t accustomed to.”
The Diamondbacks are looking to make their first postseason appearance since their incredible run to the World Series in 2023. The similarities between the World Series team and this team are noticeable, but Lovullo doesn’t want to get lost in the comparisons.
“I want us to be able to say we’ve been here before and done this, but I don’t want to keep talking about (2023) because that was a totally different season,” he said.
It is hard not to talk about the 2023 team after watching how the Diamondbacks have played in the crunch. They play as if they are hungry, resilient and driven. Their stars are playing just as well, if not better than they did two years ago.
A reminder from the 2023 season remains in the clubhouse to this day. A piece of paper with two words typed on it hangs above pitcher Ryne Thompson’s locker that reads “SNAKES ALIVE.”