Arizona Diamondbacks' offense comes back around when most needed, but was it too late?

At the end of the day Monday, all of it could be meaningless depending on what happens in Georgia.

But for one day, when it was most needed, the Diamondbacks offense returned to its high production ways after several days without it.

The Diamondbacks exploded for 16 hits in their 11-2 rout of the Padres on Sunday, the final day of the regular season. It was a win Arizona had to have, as the three-way battle for two National League wild-card spots extends into Monday with the results of the Mets-Atlanta doubleheader directly affecting the Diamondbacks’ postseason hopes.

The question is whether winning Sunday will be enough.

In losing four of their last six games, the Diamondbacks — who finished the regular season with a major league-leading 886 runs and were second with 1,452 hits — managed just six runs and were shut out twice. In their two wins during that stretch, the Diamondbacks scored 19 combined runs.

“We did what we had to do,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said after the game. “We had only one option, to go out and play the type of game that we ended up playing. This is exactly who we are. It was 15, 16 hits, 11 runs, a lot of 'slug,' patient approach.”

Lovullo thought the team was able to exhale after scoring its first run of the game in the fourth inning. The Diamondbacks went on to plate six runs in the fourth and coast the rest of the way.

“The balloon popped,” he said. “This game can be challenging sometimes. As hard enough as it is when you try to do too much, you see what it looks like over the past four or five days. But it was nice to get that thing turned around and have a really complete offensive day.”

All-Star Ketel Marte was 0 for 6 against the Padres this weekend, then had two hits Sunday, including a long home run to left field. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was 1 of 6, then had three hits Sunday. Jake McCarthy also had three hits, and Eugenio Suarez had three hits, including his 30 ^th home run of the season.

Suarez also surpassed 100 runs batted in with two on Sunday.

“The hard work paid off,” Suarez said. “Believed in myself, and to be able to help my team win was even better.”

McCarthy said taking one game of the three-game series against the Padres was important.

“I just think throughout the year we were kind of relentless with our approach at the plate,” McCarthy said. “It always seems like someone steps up, guys like Ketel and Geno and whoever else; it just seems like we’re bound to have a big inning. So it was nice that it came pretty early in (Sunday’s) game.”

The Diamondbacks’ 15 occurrences of 15 or more hits in a game this season were the most in the majors, ahead of the Orioles (14) and Brewers (12).

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Diamondbacks' offense comes back around when most needed, but was it too late?