PHOENIX − The atmosphere is exciting, unpredictable, and nerve-wracking, making it a challenging situation for three traveling secretaries.

With the division races and the American League wild-card spots all finalized, the National League wild-card battle remains uncertain.

The San Diego Padres secured the leading wild-card position and guaranteed home-field advantage in the wild-card round, thanks to their 5-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. This leaves three teams competing for the last two wild-card spots.

Who will continue to play in October and who will go home? No one knows.

The New York Mets (87-71), Atlanta Braves (87-71), and Arizona Diamondbacks (88-72) are currently in a deadlock with just two days left in the season.

Correction

There are three days remaining

Well, perhaps.

The situation is so convoluted that the teams themselves aren’t completely sure how many games remain, let alone where to plan their flights for Monday.

These three teams control their own fates without depending on others to lose, except for Arizona, which has the best record of the group.

If either Atlanta or the Mets manage to win their last four games, they clinch a wild-card spot.

If Arizona wins its last two games against San Diego, it is likely to qualify, though not guaranteed.

Suppose the Mets win their next two against Milwaukee, Atlanta wins two against Kansas City, and Arizona takes two from the Padres. In that case, Monday will be particularly crucial.

The Mets and Braves are set to play a doubleheader in Atlanta, making up games postponed by Hurricane Helene, provided the games are significant for the playoffs.

These games wouldn’t need to happen if the Diamondbacks lose their last two and the Mets and Braves win theirs. This scenario would result in the Diamondbacks being two games behind both teams, with New York and Atlanta each holding the tiebreaker advantage over them.

If the D-backs win both, they’re in a good position, but they could face being left out if Atlanta and the Mets split their doubleheader, leading all three teams to a 90-72 record, with the D-backs losing the potential tiebreaker.

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“I see this as an chance to engage in something unique, strange, and historic,” Atlanta catcher Sean Murphy remarked to reporters on Friday. “A potential doubleheader right before the playoffs is exciting. Embracing the situation is the best approach.”

The scenarios are so complicated that even if the Diamondbacks clinch a postseason spot on Sunday, they’d have to sit quietly on Monday, awaiting the results of the Mets vs. Braves to know their playoff path. If they secure the second wild-card spot, they will head to San Diego for a best-of-three series at Petco Park. If they end up with the third wild-card spot, their destination will be Milwaukee, where they’ve already faced the team seven times in the past week.

The plan for the D-backs is to practice at Chase Field on Monday, while keeping an eye on the Mets vs. Braves games in the background, hoping to discover their playoff path by late afternoon, just as the playoffs are set to commence on Tuesday.

For Atlanta and New York, the goal is to avoid playing both games of the doubleheader on Monday. Winning could lead to losing by exhausting the pitching staff ahead of the wild-card series.

Unless you’re Atlanta, which has not utilized Cy Young favorite Chris Sale in nine days. They aim to reserve him for an elimination game, hoping he won’t have to pitch until Game 1 of the wild-card series. Alternatively, they could be concerned about his fatigue since his velocity dropped by 4 mph in his last outing.

Adding to the drama, there’s also the question of how hard the Padres will try to defeat the Diamondbacks, and whether the Brewers will put in effort against the Mets and the Royals against Atlanta.

The Padres have already secured the top wild-card position and have no incentive to beat Arizona. The Royals clinched their playoff berth on Friday, knowing they will face either Baltimore or Houston. As for the Brewers, they are locked in as the third division winners, unable to alter their playoff position.

“We’re still going to give it our all in the next two days,” said Padres manager Mike Shildt after Friday’s game. “Every game counts, and we want to uphold the integrity of this tight race.

“However, we also need to strategically set our pitching for Tuesday.”

This plan means the Padres will skip Michael King for Sunday’s match, making him a strong candidate for a start in the wild-card series.

They are also considering resting Luis Arraez, who is contending with knee and thumb injuries, but as he’s in the race for his third consecutive batting title, with Shohei Ohtani hot on his heels, he insists on playing.

The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, have lost four out of their last five games.

In the thick of the season, not every team has the luxury of making strategic decisions. Manager Torey Lovullo stated he’s unlikely to call upon ace Zac Gallen for Sunday, but if the circumstances demand it, all options will be considered.

“We’ll be prepared,’’ Lovullo remarked. “We understand what’s at stake. Many are questioning the team’s stability. ‘Are we doing alright?’ We’re doing great. …

“I can’t quite put it into words. Baseball can be unpredictable. While we didn’t secure a win, we will definitely give our all to achieve one [on Saturday].’’

If the Diamondbacks perform well, the Mets might find themselves in a tough position. They fell to the Brewers, 8-4, with their ace, Sean Manaea, on the hill, which included a grand slam in the first inning.

“We’ve faced a lot this season,’’ Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told the press, “and this is just another challenge.’’

The hottest team among the three is Atlanta, having clinched six wins out of their last seven games, including a decisive 3-0 shutout against Kansas City, where Max Fried pitched an impressive 8 ⅔ innings, allowing only three hits and striking out nine.

“We needed this win, and I aimed to give it my all,” Fried said to reporters. “This game was crucial. Every game from now is essential. We play to be part of meaningful September baseball.’’

While the wild-card race appears unclear, Fried believes they’ll be back in October, just like they used to.

“We’ve got a fantastic group that believes and has tons of talent,’’ he expressed. “I’m confident we’ll rack up wins and reach the playoffs.”

This leaves one lingering question.

Which team will snatch that other wild-card position?