Diamondbacks and Padres Game 162 Preview

The D-backs fight for their playoff lives on the last day of the regular season.

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt (32) throws to the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Chase Field in Phoenix on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This is it. Except in the most extreme circumstances, it's win or go home for the Diamondbacks. Even if they win, there are numerous scenarios in which they still miss the Postseason.

But first things first, they need to win a game.

LINEUPS

Padres at D-backs Lineups September 29 / Jack Sommers

Brandon Pfaadt (10-10, 4.80 ERA) will take the mound for the Diamondbacks. He's had an up-and-down season, and struggled for the most part with location mistakes over his last six or seven starts. But he is more than capable of throwing a dominant game and putting the D-backs in a position to win.

This will be Pfaadt's fourth start against the Padres in 2024. In the previous three contests he's gone 0-2 with a no decision and a 5.17 ERA. 26 hits, including three homers have led to nine earned runs in 15.2 innings.

Manager Torey Lovullo said everyone is available out of the bullpen, and they would even use Zac Gallen in a late or extra inning situation if they needed to. If Gallen pitches Sunday he would not be available to pitch in game one of the Wild Card series. But as Lovullo said, they have to get there first.

Left-hander Martin Perez will get the start for the Padres. He has a 5-5 record with a 4.25 ERA. The veteran left-hander has not faced the D-backs since 2018. However there are two former American Leaguers in the lineup for Arizona with plenty of exposure to Perez in the past.

Eugenio Suarez is 5-for-9, with a double and a homer against Perez. Randal Grichuk is 6-20, with two doubles against Perez.

The Padres also called up knuckleballer Matt Waldron. It's possible, even likely that Perez only throws a couple of innings and then gives way to Waldron as the "bulk" pitcher. Waldron faced the D-backs at Chase Field earlier in the year and gave up eight runs in three innings, but in two subsequent starts gave up just three runs in 12 innings.

The Padres have Luis Arraez, Fernando Tatis Jr, Jackson Merrill, and Jake Cronenworth back in the lineup. Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts, who both played Saturday, get the day off as the Padres prepare for the postseason.

Arraez currently leads the National League with a .314 batting average and is the only one that stands in the way of Shohei Ohtani achieving the Triple Crown. Ohtani is batting .310, and leads the league by wide margins in home runs (54) and RBI (130).