A.J. Puk turned and tracked the flight of the ball, his hands on his hips in disbelief. A moment later, he was again watching a ball sail into the left-field seats.
Of all the ways the Diamondbacks could have suffered a potentially crippling loss on Saturday evening, this was perhaps the most shocking, with Puk, the best reliever in baseball the past three-plus months, serving up back-to-back homers.
The Diamondbacks managed just two hits as they blew another chance to move closer to a wild-card spot, losing, 5-0, to the San Diego Padres, who were resting several of their top players and started a pitcher whom they just called up from Triple-A.
The Diamondbacks’ loss, their fifth in their past six games, further diminishes their chances but does not eliminate them from the wild-card race, not with the New York Mets also losing on Friday and Saturday in Milwaukee.
The Diamondbacks have one game left in the season, their Sunday series finale against the Padres. The Mets and Braves each play separate games on Sunday, then are scheduled to face each other in a doubleheader on Monday in Atlanta.