How Arizona kept the National League wild-card race open
The Diamondbacks improved to 83-74 with a 7-2 win but remained four games behind Philadelphia for the final National League wild-card spot with five games left.[5] Chicago could have clinched through either a Cubs win or an Arizona loss, but Miami's six-run 12th inning produced an 8-2 victory after the Diamondbacks had already won.[5][6]
Why it matters
The paired results preserved Arizona's narrow mathematical path while showing how one contender's clinching scenario can depend simultaneously on its own game and an out-of-town result.[5][6]
Key insights
- Arizona's remaining margin is extremely small: it trails Philadelphia by four games with only five to play.[5]
- The Cubs entered Tuesday with two routes to qualification—a win of their own or a Diamondbacks loss—and received neither.[6]
- Miami broke a tie in the 12th inning and scored six times, turning a close game into the result that delayed Chicago's clinch.[6]