Phillies fall short in Arizona, drop 4-3 as D-Backs keep Wild Card hopes alive

The Phillies already have the NL East wrapped up, but Saturday night in Arizona was a reminder that October isn’t going to be a victory lap.

Zac Gallen shut them down, Aaron Nola’s road woes continued, and the Diamondbacks clawed out a 4-3 win that keeps their playoff pulse beating.

It started well enough. Harrison Bader worked a four-pitch walk, Kyle Schwarber doubled him home, and J.T. Realmuto added a sac fly to give the Phils a 2-0 lead before Diamondbacks fans even sat down.

And we're off! pic.twitter.com/ioitPicXKv

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 21, 2025

Alec Bohm later launched his first homer in what felt like forever. Obviously, that’s a good sign as he works back from that shoulder issue.

A Rav 4th Inning Bohment#RingTheBell x @Toyota pic.twitter.com/bWaIo9zRQf

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 21, 2025

Aaron Nola couldn’t hold it.

Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte answered to tie things up, and in the sixth inning, Blaze Alexander and James McCann ripped back-to-back doubles to erase Philly’s lead for good. Ildemaro Vargas then singled off Tanner Banks to bring McCann home with the deciding run.

Nola’s line tells the story of his season: 5 1/3 innings, seven hits, four runs, two walks, four strikeouts, and yet another road loss. He’s now 0-6 away from Citizens Bank Park.

For a team with World Series aspirations, that’s not exactly reassuring.

Meanwhile, Gallen looked every bit the ace the D-Backs need down the stretch. Seven innings, nine strikeouts, and 103 pitches of control, handing the bullpen a one-run lead. John Curtiss slammed the door in the ninth for his first save as a Diamondback.

The Phillies had chances.

In the eighth, Bryce Harper nearly set them up with a leadoff single, but Blaze Alexander made a slick play at third to cut him down at second. That might’ve been the difference between a late rally and a long flight back to the hotel.

For Arizona, the win means everything: back over .500 and just two games out of the final wild card. For the Phillies, it’s a shrug. Unlike the credentialed media, our division champs don’t panic in late September but they also don’t want to stumble into October.

Up Next for the Phillies:

Ranger Suárez (12-6, 2.84 ERA) will try to steady things Sunday against Eduardo Rodriguez (8-8, 5.12 ERA) in the series finale.

Join The Chase