HOUSTON -- The D-backs entered Friday's game with an 8.45 ERA in September. They picked the perfect time to prevent that number from increasing.
Three Arizona relievers absorbed the final 3 2/3 innings of the D-backs' 4-2 win over the Astros at Minute Maid Park, allowing them to pull within three games of the Cardinals and Dodgers in the National League Wild Card race, and they could gain in the NL West, pending the Rockies' game in San Francisco.
The D-backs have the unenviable task of attempting to stay afloat as playoff contenders without a designated closer and with a bullpen that has been ineffective down the stretch, with little in the way of outside reinforcements available to help out.