The Arizona Diamondbacks need the Philadelphia Phillies to lose to have a chance to make the playoffs.
That could be easier said than done, though, at least on Sunday. A massive storm moving through the Northeast United States has a chance to greatly impact the Phillies’ chances of even playing their game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Philadelphia.
The Phillies have already bumped up the start time by a bit, but there’s a decent chance they don’t get a game in on Sunday at all.
And if that happens, Arizona’s playoff picture gets a bit weirder.
What Happens To Diamondbacks If Phillies Get Rained Out Today?
The reality is that if the Phillies get rained out, the Diamondbacks still first have to take care of business.
They only get into the playoffs if the Phillies lose and the Diamondbacks win, so they can’t afford to slip up while wondering what’s happening in Philadelphia.
Arizona plays in San Diego against the Padres, and no matter what, their first task will be to win that baseball game.
If that happens, then the Diamondbacks can wonder about additional implications.
For example, the Phillies could have their game postponed to Monday. And since the Phillies control their own destiny, they’d still have to play it.
If the Phillies won a postponed game Monday, it would eliminate the Diamondbacks a day later than otherwise planned.
Arizona would likely be planning travel, and potentially hitting the road, even while not knowing if they’d have another series to play.
The Atlanta Braves will host whichever of these teams snags the NL’s final Wild Card spot. And the playoffs begin Tuesday. It seems like the Diamondbacks would then face some tricky travel decisions as they wait for potential results one way or the other from Philadelphia.
At the very least, it would create quite the suspense for Arizona’s players, coaches and fans.
But yeah, the Diamondbacks have to win first, or this is all moot.
Diamondbacks-Phillies Tiebreaker
The only reason the Diamondbacks are still alive to begin with is their tiebreaker edge over the Phillies.
The usual tiebreaker would be head-to-head record between these teams, but they went 3-3 against one another this season.
That pushes it to intra-division record, where the Diamondbacks hold the edge.
Arizona enters Sunday one-game back, but because they hold the tiebreaker, a Diamondbacks win and Phillies loss — no matter when those come — would get Arizona in the playoffs.
What Happens To Diamondbacks If Phillies Get Rained Out Today?