Guardians, D-backs feeling heat of their respective wild-card chases

Two teams in the hunt for the playoffs meet this weekend when the Cleveland Guardians host the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three-game interleague series starting Friday night.

Both teams currently hold wild-card spots in their respective leagues with less than two months remaining in the regular season. However, their grip on those postseason spots is tenuous. Six teams are within three games of the Diamondbacks in the National League, while four American League squads are within three of the Guardians.

Cleveland returns home after taking two of three games in Cincinnati, including Wednesday's 6-1 victory. Prior to the Ohio Cup series against the Reds, the Guardians had lost five straight.

Manager Stephen Vogt noted that his team took advantage of several opportunities to bring home runners on third with less than two outs, and for that, he credited his batters' patience.

"I thought we took some good walks," he said Wednesday after the Guardians scored twice on bases-loaded walks in a four-run fifth. "You don't have to be the one that gets it done (with a hit), and I think we tend to expand in those times."

Kyle Manzardo homered in both of Cleveland's wins in the series. He finished 2-for-7 with six RBIs and three walks. The first baseman was hitting .154 (4-for-26) with no walks in his nine games before facing the Reds.

The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, won the last two games in Pittsburgh to take their series against the Pirates, one of the teams chasing Arizona in the wild-card standings. That included a 3-0 win on Wednesday, with starter Eduardo Rodriguez going eight innings to give a bullpen that was used for 12 2/3 innings over the previous three games some rest ahead of a day off.

Arizona may need to lean on relievers Friday as Mitch Bratt (0-1, 6.32 ERA) gets the start. The rookie left-hander, 23, has just four major league starts under his belt. Bratt's five-inning appearance last Saturday in Washington, where he gave up five runs on seven hits and five walks, was his longest of the season.

Manager Torey Lovullo also adjusted his bullpen a bit as Brandyn Garcia earned his second save of the season Wednesday, allowing a walk and striking out two. Paul Sewald has been the closer, but the veteran right-hander has given up seven runs (six earned) and blown two save opportunities in his last five outings.

That included allowing three runs in a third of an inning Tuesday, which forced the game into extra innings. Arizona eventually won 8-7 in 12.

"We're just going to put some pieces together to help us win some baseball games right now," said Lovullo, who added Sewald may still get save opportunities.

Tanner Bibee (4-10, 3.89) will start for the Guardians. The right-hander has faced Arizona twice, winning once but also giving up seven runs on 14 hits and four walks across 10 2/3 innings while striking out 11.

He last faced the Diamondbacks in Phoenix on Aug. 19, 2025. He threw 5 2/3 innings and spotted Arizona four runs. Four of the seven hits he gave up went for extra bases, including three triples.

Corbin Carroll, who leads the majors with 12 triples this season, hit two of those three-baggers last season against Bibee. He's hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, going 11-for-42 (.262) with three doubles, two triples and a homer.

--Field Level Media