SAN DIEGO - The Diamondbacks spent a week living on the edge of elimination. Friday night moved the edge back by a game and removed their scheduled Saturday starter in the same breath.
Arizona beat the Padres 11-4 at Petco Park, the Associated Press reported, behind three home runs and four RBIs from Geraldo Perdomo. Philadelphia lost 2-0 to Tampa Bay the same night. The combination left the Diamondbacks at 86-74, one game behind the Phillies for the National League's final wild-card spot with two games left.
CBS Sports noted that Arizona would own the tiebreaker if the clubs finish with identical records.
The win was Arizona's sixth straight. It also kept San Diego from clinching home-field advantage in the wild-card round a night after the Padres locked their own postseason berth.
Early innings, then a pitching question
Lars Nootbaar homered on Casey Mize's first pitch. Jordan Lawlar and Nolan Arenado - Arenado's 30th - also went deep, the AP recap said. Brandon Pfaadt worked 7 2/3 innings for his third win of the season over San Diego, allowing four runs on nine hits with seven strikeouts.
Arizona scored in six of the first seven innings and has put up 16 first-inning runs across its last four games, Field Level Media reported via CBS Sports.
That offense bought another night. It did not answer who throws Saturday.
Corbin Burnes, listed as the starter before the series, went on the injured list Friday with shoulder inflammation after allowing nine runs over 7 1/3 innings in his previous two starts, CBS Sports reported. Manager Torey Lovullo told reporters the problem had been building over about five days of bullpen and throwing-program work.
Arizona is expected to use a bullpen game; Jose Cabrera (0-3, 4.33 ERA) was mentioned as a bulk or opening candidate after Ryne Nelson and Zac Gallen both worked Friday in support of Pfaadt.
Catcher Gabriel Moreno left Friday with a left hamstring issue but is expected to serve as the designated hitter Saturday, the same report said.
What San Diego still needs - and what Arizona must force
The Padres sit at 89-71. With the Cubs swept in Boston and the Phillies shut out, San Diego needs one win in its final two games to secure the No. 4 seed and home-field advantage in the wild-card round, CBS Sports reported.
