Carroll joins 30-30 club as D-backs inch closer to Wild Card

PHOENIX -- Normally, Corbin Carroll becoming the first 30-30 player in Diamondbacks history would be the biggest takeaway from Sunday's game against the Phillies, but against all odds, Arizona is still alive in the postseason chase.

The Diamondbacks' 9-2 win over the Phillies at Chase Field, combined with the Mets' loss to the Nationals, moved the D-backs to within one game of the Mets and Reds, who are tied for the third and final NL Wild Card spot.

That Arizona is in this position after trading away a number of its veteran players at the Trade Deadline is a big surprise even to some of its players.

That Carroll reached the 30 homer-30 stolen base club is the exact opposite, as the 2023 NL Rookie of the Year has continued to show a remarkable combination of power and speed. Ask a teammate about one of his accomplishments and you'll get some version of nothing he does surprises them.

Carroll became the fourth player to accomplish the feat this year, joining Juan Soto (Mets), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (Yankees) and Jose Ramirez (Guardians). It's the 76th time overall in Major League Baseball history.

"Obviously, it was a goal of mine for the season to hit 30 homers and steal more than 30 bases," Carroll said. "To accomplish some personal goals late in the year is great. There's been some really good players that have come before me [with the Diamondbacks], and so I think just to be the first to do it is great."

Carroll also joined Jimmy Rollins (2007) and Willie Mays (1957) as the only players in AL/NL history with 30 home runs, 30 stolen bases and 15 triples in a season.

"That's great too," Carroll said. "Obviously, there's a long history in this game, and so just to do something that's historic in some way, I feel like it means you're doing something right."

The personal accomplishments are great, but Carroll was more focused on contributing to another win that brings his team closer to a postseason berth.

It's a balancing act for the players. They know there is little margin for error and there's an urgency every day, but they also don't want to press, because that can backfire.

"I still think that a lot's got to go right for us," Carroll said. "We've got to show up, and each one of these games, obviously, matters a ton, so just got to take it one game at a time -- but at the same time, not let it create unneeded pressure and just still play free like we've been playing these last few weeks."

It was, of course, easier to play loose and easy a couple of weeks ago when the D-backs' postseason chances were, at times, less than 1%, according to FanGraphs.

Now, though, it's starting to get real. And while some players try not to look at the scoreboard to see how the Mets or the Reds are doing, others can't help but do so.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo has said numerous times that his team has earned the right to scoreboard watch, and he doesn't discourage it.

"Our game was starting, and I walked out [to the dugout] and I think the [Mets] score was 3-2 in the ninth inning," Lovullo said. "We're watching it, of course, so I don't know what happened or how it happened, but I saw it up on the board that they had lost, and I'm sure everybody else was zoned in on that as well."

One person who wasn't paying attention was starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, who said he was too focused on being ready to face a tough Phillies lineup. Rodriguez got early run support as the Diamondbacks scored six runs in the first two innings, and he went on to toss six scoreless innings.

The five-run second inning by the Diamondbacks provided a good illustration of why they won't be a fun team to face if they were to make it to the postseason. They used their speed and athleticism at the bottom of the order to beat out an infield hit and a bunt. They drew a walk, got a two-run single from Ketel Marte and a three-run homer by Carroll.

Just like that, they were in control of the game.

"A bunt in there, a homer, I think everyone kept the line moving to create a big inning," Carroll said. "And [we didn't] look back from there."