E-Rod gives D-backs big postseason boost ... but still chasing 1st CG

PITTSBURGH -- If it's an Eduardo Rodriguez start day, then the chances are good the Diamondbacks are going to walk away with a win.

Arizona rode another strong outing by the left-hander to a 3-0 win over the Pirates at PNC Park on Wednesday afternoon. With the victory, the Diamondbacks are now 17-3 over Rodriguez's last 20 starts.

Let's dive a little deeper into the game and the series:

What this means in the NL Wild Card chase

Obviously, the win helps in the standings as the Diamondbacks are now tied with the Phillies for the second National League Wild Card spot. The win also moves the D-backs two games ahead of the Pirates in the standings, and don't forget about the all-important tiebreaker scenarios.

If teams tie for a postseason spot, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head play. Had the Pirates won on Wednesday, they would have owned that tiebreaker over the Diamondbacks, but the two teams instead tied the season series, meaning a potential head-to-head tiebreaker would now come down to which club has the better record against its own division.

The Diamondbacks are currently 21-11 against the NL West, while the Pirates are 18-14 against the NL Central.

Arizona learned the value of tiebreakers the hard way in 2024, when it tied with the Braves and Mets for the final Wild Card spot only to lose both of the tiebreakers.

"We came here to do what we did -- win two out of three," manager Torey Lovullo said. "And that's always our objective -- to win as many games as we possibly can. But after that first night -- it was a heartbreaking loss -- and then a big win [on Tuesday]."

A lot of lobbyists at the ballpark

After more than 10 years in the big leagues, Rodriguez has accomplished a lot. He's won a World Series, he's made an All-Star team and he's won a World Baseball Classic title with Venezuela.

The one thing he hasn't done is throw a complete game. So as soon as Nick Gonzales' fly ball landed in Jorge Barrosa's glove to end the eighth, Rodriguez -- who had thrown 105 pitches -- looked to Lovullo in the dugout and motioned that he was going to pitch the ninth.

With a tired bullpen, Lovullo needed Rodriguez to pitch deep into the game, but there was no way he was going to let him throw 120 pitches.

Not only was Rodriguez pushing for it, but shortstop Geraldo Perdomo had not yet reached the first-base dugout before he started yelling to Lovullo to leave Rodriguez in the game. Bench coach Jeff Banister also lobbied on Rodriguez's behalf.

"He's never thrown a complete game," Perdomo said. "This is a guy that's been pitching really well for the team, so I would like him to throw one at least one time. So I went straight to Torey and told him he can go to 120 pitches."

Said Lovullo with a smile: "He and Banny were kind of working on me in tandem for 120, but that was never going to happen. You know, 120 pitches for him at this point in the year is a little bit risky, but maybe in another place and time it could happen. But 105-110 was about the limit we talked about pregame."

Sewald will pitch in lower-leverage roles for now

After scuffling lately, including on Tuesday night when he allowed the Pirates to tie the game with a three-run rally, Paul Sewald will get a break from the closer role.

Lovullo delivered the news to Sewald prior to Wednesday's game.

"Just take him out of that high-leverage situation, let him get into a little bit of a rhythm and get him back to that spot as soon as possible," Lovullo said. "He understood. Absolutely great teammate. Those are tough conversations to have. Those are tough conversations to absorb. He's got 24 saves in 27 opportunities. We would not be sitting in this spot without Paul Sewald. We both understood that as I was delivering the message. He received it very, very well. Great teammate."

Left-hander Brandyn Garcia closed out Wednesday's game, but that doesn't mean he's taking over the closer role. Lovullo said he plans to go with matchups late in games, using Garcia, Juan Morillo, Jonathan Loáisiga and Kevin Ginkel, depending on the situation.