NEW YORK -- They knew it was going to be like this. They knew it was going to be cold and windy. They knew that it would most likely be drizzling and raining throughout the game.

But the D-backs also knew this: They needed to play Sunday’s game with the Yankees, because they needed Zac Gallen to take his turn on regular rest to set up their pitching for the final week as they make a push for the postseason.

The game was a little delayed, but they found a way to get it in, with Gallen tossing six scoreless innings in Arizona’s 7-1 victory at Yankee Stadium.

• Games remaining (7): at NYY (1), at CWS (3), vs. HOU (3)
• Standings update: The D-backs (82-73) hold the No. 2 Wild Card spot. They have a half-game lead over the Cubs (82-74) and a 1 1/2-game lead on the Marlins (81-75). They are three games ahead of the Reds (80-77). Cincinnati and Miami hold the tiebreaker over the D-backs. Arizona holds the tiebreaker over the Cubs.

With Saturday’s game postponed due to rain, the D-backs are staying in New York an extra day to play the Yankees on Monday. That game will be started by Merrill Kelly, and if he, too, makes his start, it lines up the D-backs’ pitching the rest of the way.

Pitching Gallen on Sunday and Kelly on Monday lines them up to pitch Friday and Saturday against the Astros in what could be a pivotal series if the National League Wild Card standings continue to be tight. Then the D-backs would have Gallen and Kelly available to start Games 2 and 3 of a potential NL Wild Card Series.

“Playing today is super important for us,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said before the game.

It certainly wasn’t easy, though, as the Yankees’ grounds crew worked feverishly between innings to keep the field playable.

“The conditions were very tough,” D-backs center fielder Alek Thomas said. “Very slippery, very wet. So you just have to play it any way you can. The wind was crazy as well, so the reads were pretty tough for the corner [outfield] guys. For us to come out on top, you know, is pretty huge. We're still trying to pull this thing off, so you just throw the rain out the window.”

For Gallen, a native of New Jersey, the weather felt like home. It didn’t appear to faze him in the least as he allowed just three hits and a pair of walks while striking out eight.

“It was lovely out there,” Gallen said with a smile. “That’s what happens sometimes when you come to the East Coast, you battle some weather. So [I] just tried to go out there and make pitches really, and just keep us in the game.”

Gallen laughed when asked if he’d ever pitched in conditions like that before.

“Yeah, growing up, all the time, and that's why I wasn't really too worried,” Gallen said. “You forget how nice that [ballpark] roof is in Arizona and sunshine every day. But I mean, I grew up playing in stuff like this all the time. So it brought me back to when I was a kid.”

Because the D-backs don’t play in windy conditions at home due to the retractable roof at Chase Field, Lovullo makes sure every spring that on the windiest and blusteriest days, his players go out and take popups.

Whether that paid off Sunday is unknowable. But what is sure is that his team faced adverse conditions and found a way to win.

From what Lovullo has been told by the Yankees’ personnel, Monday’s weather is expected to be a lot like Sunday’s.

“So we can [prepare] for it,” Lovullo said. “At least we know what to expect. And like I said earlier, we're a tough baseball team, and our guys will be ready to go.”