Diamondbacks and Astros Both Looking to Clinch Playoff Spots

The Diamondbacks play the Astros today at Chase Field in Game No. 161 of the season, first pitch is 5:10 P.M. MST. They either need one more victory or to clinch a post season berth. They can also clinch with a loss by the Cincinnati Reds. The D-backs must finish with one fewer loss than the Reds as Cincinnati holds the tiebreaker. The Marlins also hold the tiebreaker with Arizona and would finish ahead of the D-backs if they end up with the same record.

The Phillies have already clinched the top wild card spot. If the D-backs finish in the second wild card position they would travel to Philadelphia for three road games. If they finish in the third wild card position they will go to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers.

In an oddity brought about by the multiple wild cards, a Reds loss and an Astros victory would allow for both the D-backs and the Astros to clinch a playoff spot on the same day in the same game.

Pitching Matchup

It's remarkable how similar Justin Verlander and Merrill Kelly's pitching statistics are this year. Earlier today I took a deeper dive into Verlander's tendency to give up runs early but then shut down offenses after the third inning. I suggest checking that out when you are done here. Despite the similar results they go about it two completely different ways. Verlander usually starts out with a fastball/slider power mix, and then works in his curveball and change up later in game. His fastball still average over 94 MPH and he can reach back for 97 when he needs it. Kelly uses six different pitches, including 4-seam, change up, cutter, sinker, curveball, and new this year, a slider.

Verlander pitched into the 9th inning in his most recent start against the Mariners giving up just one run on three hits. In 10 starts since returning to Houston he is 6-3 with a 3.57 ERA and a 3.98 FIP. He does have two poor starts among his five September outings, leading to a 4.24 ERA for the month. Kelly battled through poor weather conditions and high pitch counts to throw five innings against the Yankees on September 25th, but managed to give up just two runs in a game the Yankees would win 6-4.

Lineups

The Diamondbacks hitters picked a bad time to go cold. After a 15 run outburst against the White Sox on September 26th, they are just 11 for 87, .126 B.A. without a homer and have scored just five runs. In fact other than the three homers they hit on September 26, they have just one other homer dating back to September 22nd against the Yankees, and that came in the top of the 9th by Christian Walker in a 7-0 game. The one hitter that is not slumping is Corbin Carroll. He's gone 4-for-12 with two doubles, a triple, and three stolen bases in the last three games. The D-backs will need the hands down NL Rookie of the Year to continue to lead the way and hope the other hitters catch up. They will also be hoping for veteran Evan Longoria to reignite some playoff magic from seasons past.

Jose Altuve, (6-for-14), Jeremy Pena, (5-for-12) and Alex Bregman (4-for-12) are the three hottest hitters for the Astros over their last three games. Yordan Alvarez has 31 homers and a .996 OPS in just 488 plate appearances while Kyle Tucker has 29 homers and an AL leading 111 RBI. The two left handed sluggers anchor the stacked Astros lineup.