Nolan Arenado's resurgent season has become a driving force behind the Arizona Diamondbacks' late playoff charge.
The third baseman powered Arizona to a 12-8 win over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday, September 24, 2026, extending the team's winning streak to five games.
The Diamondbacks (85-74) kept their National League wild-card hopes alive with a season-high 18 hits at Coors Field in Denver.
A six-run first inning set the tone, capped by Arenado's two-run homer and a three-run blast from Gabriel Moreno.
Arenado finished with three hits, including his 29th home run of the season, and has now reached base safely in 18 consecutive games.
With four games remaining, Arizona pulled within three games of the final NL wild-card spot.
Arenado's September Resurgence
In his debut season with Arizona, the 35-year-old veteran has slashed . 254/.
326/. 469 with 29 home runs and 83 RBIs across 149 games.
He leads the roster in both homers and runs driven in.
His September performance has been pivotal, posting a . 351 batting average, eight home runs, 18 RBIs, and a 1.131 OPS over a 20-game span.
The offensive rebound follows two down years with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he hit just 28 combined home runs across more than 1,000 plate appearances in 2024 and 2025 before being traded last winter.
Analysts attribute part of his resurgence to favorable home ballparks, as Chase Field boasts a 106 park factor for right-handed hitters compared to the pitcher-friendly conditions at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Arenado's stellar play has also resonated off the diamond, with Major League Baseball reporting his jersey as the 19th most popular overall from the Fanatics network, making him the sole Diamondbacks player in the top 20 list.
Pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez earned the win after allowing two runs and nine hits across six innings to improve to 16-7 with a 2.89 ERA.
Rockies starter Tanner Gordon took the loss after yielding 10 runs on 12 hits over 4 1/3 innings, dropping Colorado to a major league-worst 57-102 record in front of a home crowd of 22,511 fans.
Arizona now travels to face the San Diego Padres for a critical season-ending weekend series to determine their playoff fate.
