A diamondback is a snake. And snakes, the first book of the Bible shares, had their feet taken away not long after the world was created.
But these snakes, the Arizona Diamondbacks, definitely have feet — and the Philadelphia Phillies can hear the footsteps coming fast and furious.
The Phillies are clinging to the third-and-final NL Wild Card spot with just two games to play in the regular season.
The Diamondbacks have closed to within one game, though.
Arizona won on Friday night. The Phillies lost.
It’s all coming down to the absolute wire.
The Phillies play two more home games against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Diamondbacks have two more on the road in San Diego against the Padres.
Buckle up, because this race is on.
Phillies Magic Number
The reality is that the Phillies still have a magic number of 2.
They hold a one-game lead with two games to play.
Any combination of two Phillies wins and Diamondbacks losses would send Philadelphia to the postseason and Arizona home.
But surely the Phillies are feeling a little bit of the pressure.
The Diamondbacks hold the tiebreaker, a crucial fact in these standings as they come down to the wire.
Phillies Playoff Scenarios
The simplest way for the Phillies to avoid disaster is to win their final two games of the regular season.
The Rays aren’t playing for anything other than a strong finish before they go into the postseason as the AL’s No. 1 seed. Philadelphia is playing for everything.
That wasn’t enough in a 2-1 Friday night loss for the Phillies, but it still has to help their cause this weekend.
If the Phillies only win one, they need Arizona to lose at least one.
And if the Phillies lose both, they need Arizona to lose both.
Diamondbacks Playoff Scenarios
The Diamondbacks have put themselves in position to have a chance, but they still don’t control their own destiny.
The first thing they need is for the Phillies to lose one game. If Philadelphia goes 2-0 on the weekend, Arizona is out.
If the Phillies lose one game, Arizona needs to win both its games in San Diego to get in.
If the Phillies lose both, the Diamondbacks are in with even just one win on the weekend.
Phillies-Diamondbacks Tiebreaker
The Diamondbacks hold the tiebreaker here. They won the season head-to-head series.
That’s crucial, as it means if they finish with the same regular season record, Arizona will be the team going to the playoffs.
It’s going to be a potentially thrilling weekend — at least for one of these ballclubs.
Phillies Playoff Scenarios Hear Diamondbacks’ Footsteps