(Photo credit: Joe Rondone)

The Arizona Diamondbacks enter the final game of the regular season against the host San Diego Padres on Sunday afternoon with an opportunity to make the playoffs, although Arizona will need help.

It is nothing new for the Diamondbacks, who have had their playoff fate determined on the final weekend of the season in each of the past three years.

They clinched a playoff berth in Game 161 in 2023 and went on to reach the World Series. They were eliminated on the final day in 2024 and in Game 160 last year, in San Diego.

After losing 10-7 to the Padres on Saturday, Arizona (86-75) is one game behind Philadelphia (87-74) in the race for the final wild-card spot in the National League. If the Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, Philadelphia will make the playoffs.

The Diamondbacks and Phillies split their season series. If the teams wind up tied for the final wild-card spot, Arizona owns the tiebreaker by virtue of a better intradivision record.

'We've been fighting to the end of the season,' Geraldo Perdomo said after the Diamondbacks had a six-game winning streak halted on Saturday. 'We're going to control whatever we can control.'

San Diego (90-71) on Saturday secured home-field advantage in the NL wild-card series and will host the Chicago Cubs in a best-of-three series that begins Tuesday.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said his players will attack their challenge in front of them 'the same way we do every single day, with great intent, great focus and with designs of winning a baseball game.

'That's all we can do.'

Michael Soroka (9-5, 3.31 ERA) is scheduled to start on Sunday for the D-backs against Randy Vasquez (10-6, 4.01) in a battle of right-handers.

With home field in the first round assured, Padres manager Craig Stammen said he will give some of his regulars a day off.

'We're going to rest some of our guys, but everybody we are putting in the lineup is a Major League Baseball player and capable of doing anything out on that field, including some spectacular stuff,' Stammen said.

Manny Machado, who hit his 30th homer of the season and the 399th of his career Saturday, is among those who could get a day off. He has played in 157 games this season.

'Sticking with it this year, fighting through a lot of slumps and him not feeling that great, that speaks to the person he is, the character that he has and the baseball player that he is,' Stammen said of Machado, who is hitting .216 but leads the team with 90 RBIs.

Arizona's Gabriel Moreno will be back in the lineup as the designated hitter, Lovullo said, despite leaving for a pinch hitter in the ninth Saturday after his left hamstring tightened.

Moreno was 1-for-3 with an RBI single Saturday and leads the NL with a .31078 batting average. Philadelphia's Luis Arraez is hitting .31040. No Diamondbacks player has won a batting title.

Soroka arguably made his most efficient start of the season when the Diamondbacks needed it most his last outing Tuesday, when he gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits in seven innings of a 7-2 victory at Colorado. He struck out nine, one short of his season high, and retired 14 of the last 16 batters he faced.

'He's been very consistent,' Lovullo said. 'He's been very dependable. Once he takes the mound and starts to attack, he's got really good stuff that's going to allow him to go into different quadrants of the strike zone with different types of pitches. That's a credit to his arsenal and the hard work he puts in.'

Soroka, who has missed time with glute and shoulder injuries this season, has not faced the Padres this season and is 2-0 with an 0.90 ERA in four career appearances against them. Fernando Tatis Jr. is 3-for-7 against him, while Machado is 0-for-8 with three strikeouts.

Vasquez scattered three hits over two scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Miami Marlins on Sept. 19. San Diego won 7-6 in 10 innings.

Vasquez allowed two hits over six scoreless innings in a 9-4 victory over Arizona on Aug. 4. He is 1-0 with a 3.03 ERA in seven career appearances (five starts) vs. the Diamondbacks.

--Field Level Media