The Arizona Diamondbacks bounced back from postseason competition on their day off

Live snakes, no more.

The Arizona Diamondbacks were the odd team eliminated in an unusual National League wild-card race decided by a Mets-Braves doubleheader that added an extra day to the MLB regular season. The Mets won 8-7 in an instant classic and secured their postseason ticket in Game 1. Then the Braves defeated a number of Mets backups, including a Triple-A pitcher, to clinch the third and final NL wild card.

And the Diamondbacks gathered at Chase Field to watch it all unfold beyond their control.

Few expected the Diamondbacks to sneak in the middle of a chaotic, makeshift graduation Monday. But the bottom line is that they were the hottest team in baseball a month ago. The collapse that followed, of their own making, left them on the outside looking in to observe 162.

As of August 28, the Diamondbacks held the top spot in the NL Wild Cards with a record of 46-14 over three months, helping them recover from a slow start. After their improbable run to the franchise’s second World Series appearance, they spent the first few months of that season under .500. And such magic seemed to resurface in her final week.

😔

– Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) September 30, 2024

A string of five losses in six games, including a 10-9 road loss to the Brewers in which Arizona blew the largest lead in franchise history, and two uncharacteristic shutout offensive performances against a mediocre Giants team and a Padres ballclub where there was nothing left to win. The Diamondbacks still finished with 886 runs scored, the most in the MLB ahead of the Dodgers, who were a not particularly close second with 842.

Solid campaigns from Ketel Marte and Christian Walker, along with strong second-half performances from Eugenio Suárez and Corbin Carroll, led the Diamondbacks to 89 wins, their most since 2017.

Ultimately, the Diamondbacks’ pitching proved to be extremely limiting, ranking 29th in opponent batting average, 27th in ERA (4.62), and 27th in WHIP (1.35). Her ERA of 5.34 in September was dead last. Although backups AJ Puk, Justin Martinez, Ryan Thompson and Kevin Ginkel were mostly reliable, a rotation led by Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly had inconsistent performance. And the fact that Paul Sewald was placed on the IL two weeks ago with neck discomfort only hurt one of the worst teams in MLB statistically.

(Top photo by Corbin Carroll: Norm Hall / Getty Images)