The Arizona Diamondbacks' postseason hopes aren't dead yet, but they're getting dangerously close.

Arizona suffered another brutal loss Wednesday as the Miami Marlins escaped with a 4-3 victory to take two of three at Chase Field. Miami even turned to ace Sandy Alcantara on short rest for the ninth inning, and he delivered the first save of his career to deal another blow to the Diamondbacks' playoff chances.

Arizona has now lost four of five and sits 3.5 games behind the San Diego Padres for the final NL Wild Card spot with only nine games remaining.

Fortunately, the schedule gives the Diamondbacks one final opportunity to save their season. Arizona hosts the New York Yankees this weekend before traveling to Colorado and San Diego to finish the regular season. The Yankees series is obviously challenging. But if Arizona can find a way to win that series at home, everything could change quickly.

After New York comes Colorado. Coors Field is where the bats come alive. The Rockies have one of baseball's worst records, making that a series Arizona cannot afford to lose. A sweep would be ideal before the Diamondbacks head to Petco Park for what could become an enormous final three games.

San Diego currently holds the advantage, but the Padres and Diamondbacks are tied 5-5 in the season series. Their final three games will therefore determine the head-to-head tiebreaker.

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The Diamondbacks also aren't limited to chasing San Diego. Philadelphia remains within striking distance in the Wild Card standings, leaving another potential path if the Phillies stumble down the stretch.

Everything would look dramatically different if Arizona could enter the final weekend only one or two games out. The Diamondbacks need help, and they need to start winning immediately. But their season could ultimately come down to exactly what they'd want: three games against the team they're chasing.

Survive the Yankees, take care of business against Colorado, and give yourself a chance against San Diego.

That's Arizona's only path to keeping October alive.