Diamondbacks Gameday Thread, #156: 9/24 @ Yankees

Roster moves

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves:

• Reinstated RHP Miguel Castro from the Paternity List.
• Optioned RHP Slade Cecconi to Triple-A Reno following yesterday’s game.

4-3

If yesterday is any guide, then you can more or less expect this game to be played, at some point today, regardless of the conditions. Should it need to be postponed, then the only possible reschedule date would be the Monday after the end of the regular season, on the off-day before the beginning of the wild-card series. That would be in nobody's interest. Losing Merrill Kelly's start would also potentially leave him unavailable for that series, unless the D-backs clinch before Sunday. So, all told, the teams seem likely to try and finish this, even if it involves rain delays and hanging around until late tonight.

Looking at the forecast in the Bronx, there seems to be a potential window around 3 pm, and it does potentially look to be easing off into the evening. Otherwise, it may well become a question of how much tolerance the players and the umpires have for sucking it up and getting wet. With neither the Cubs nor the Marlins playing today, the game will even everyone out at six games left to play. A win would effectively put D-backs two games up on both, allowing for the tiebreaker win over the Cubs. So victory here, followed by a 3-3 split over the remaining games, would mean both Chicago and Miami having to go 5-1 or better down the stretch, to knock Arizona out of a postseason place.

Basically, those teams need to loss two fewer games than Arizona the rest of the way. If that’s still not clear, here’s a chart showing what they need to do, for all the possible Arizona records the rest of the way.

• 7-0 or 6-1 = post-season secured
• 5-2 = Cubs and Marlins must go 6-0
• 4-3 = Cubs and Marlins must go 5-1
• 3-4 = Cubs and Marlins must go 4-2
• 2-5 = Cubs and Marlins must go 3-3
• 1-6 = Cubs and Marlins must go 2-4
• 0-7 = Cubs and Marlins must go 1-5

So winning today is perhaps more a case of “not losing”, meaning one fewer potential game for Arizona in the L column. Technically, the Reds, Giants and Padres are not officially eliminated yet: our division rivals could potentially become involved in the last couple of scenarios. But we’re talking close to mathematical certainty at this point for that pair. San and San’s elimination number is down to two, both teams now sitting on 77-79. They face each other today, in the battle for fourth place in the NL West, but with the Cubs and Marlins off, will both live to fight at least until Tuesday.