The Diamondbacks fought back for a crucial win
Record 54-50. Pace: 84-78. Change on 2023: -1.
If the Diamondbacks do end up making the playoffs this year, we may end up looking back at this game as crucial in that process. Arizona fell three runs behind by the middle of the second inning, with erstwhile ace Zac Gallen threatening to lay the latest in a series of underwhelming starts. But somehow, the team buckled down. The offense chipped away. Gallen settled down. Arizona tied the game, then looked to have spurned their chance. But a fortuitous wild-pitch worked wonders and the bullpen held firm, not without their share of drama.
Yes, there have been bigger wins this year. There have certainly been prettier ones. I’m not sure there has been one which has shown more grit. The team’s early season failings when falling behind are well known. But they’ve shown lately much better determination in those situations. Tonight, they were two runs down while I was still looking to find a re-run on the Olympics opening ceremony in Paris. Gallen had recorded only one out while loading the bases, and a groundball to right field then gave the Pirates an early 2-0 lead. Gallen escaped further damage, although the D-backs went down in order and Pittsburgh added to their lead on an Andrew McCutchen RBI double.
How often had Arizona come back from three down after two innings? Just once in 2024: the July 3rd game in Los Angeles, where they trailed 4-1, then scored 11 unanswered runs. Tonight was… not quite as easy. The first task was for Zac to stop the bleeding, while in the Gameday Thread, Michael was cranking out stats to show Gallen was in danger of July being the worst calendar month in his career. In the third, the Pirates were retired quietly, and in their half, the Diamondbacks got on the board. Corbin Carroll led off with a triple, down the line into the right field corner. Ketel Marte then was able to loft a pitch just far enough into left for Corbin to scurry home and make it a 3-1 game. There was still hope, and I opted not to proceed with the planned scathing recap, indicting Gallen for his recent form.
Zac stranded a runner on third in the fifth, starting a streak of seven consecutive Pirates retired through the middle of the sixth. The D-backs had their chances to narrow the gap, but Alek Thomas hit into an inning ending double-play with two on in the fourth. So the score remained 3-1 as we went to the bottom of the sixth. It didn’t stay that way for long, courtesy of Joc Pederson. He blasted an 0-2 pitch somewhere past the pool (above), the distance estimated at 453 feet. That would be the third longest by a Diamondback this year, behind Marte’s 461 ft shot on April 6 and Christian Walker’s 464-footer on June 13. Speaking of whom, Walker then walked, Lourdes Gurriel singled and Gabriel Moreno came up clutch, tying the game.
With runners on the corners and still nobody out, things suddenly looked very good for Arizona. Those hopes were dashed immediately, Eugenio Suárez lined into a double play to third, with Moreno being caught off the bag at first. The go-ahead run was still sitting on third, only there were now two outs. It was all up to Thomas to drive in th… Never mind. A wild pitch took care of that. Good thing too, as Thomas grounded out. Still, the Diamondbacks had clawed their way back, to a 4-3 lead with nine outs for the bullpen to get. Given Gallen was almost at ninety pitches, and the A-bullpen was well-rested, it seemed a risk for Torey Lovullo to send him out for the seventh.
It appeared to have backfired, as Zac walked both batters he faced, before being lifted. His final line was six innings of work, with five hits, three walks and six strikeouts. With three runs allowed, it was a quality start as he left the mound. But he was responsible for the runners on first and second, so the quality start, as well as Gallen getting the decision, depended on the bullpen stranding those inherited men. The task fell to Kevin Ginkel, and he fell 3-0 behind his first batter, the dangerous McCutchen. Things looked grim. But good Ginkel took over. Six consecutive strikes struck our McCutchen and Oneil Cruz, and a groundball finished the seventh, the lead intact and Gallen’s unexpected quality start secured.
Ryan Thompson worked the eighth, and that was also a bit fraught. A hit batter with one out was followed by a single to push the tying run into scoring position. However, Ryan also buckled down, with a groundout and a strikeout. The offense weren’t able to provide any insurance, which meant it was time for Paul Sewald to pitch. In comparison to some of his recent outings – or, indeed, the seventh and eight innings – this was positively drama free. A two-out single was briefly cause for concern, before a strikeout sealed the save, and a third win in a row for the D-backs. Results elsewhere meant Arizona stayed one game out of a wild-card spot. However, it’s very tight, with two games from the top wild-card team (now the Mets) down through the Padres, Braves, D-backs and Cardinals.
- Gold medalist: Lourdes Gurriel, +29.4%
- Silver: Ginkel, +27.1%; Moreno, +18.5%; Sewald, +16.5%; Thompson, +12.2%: Pederson, +11.4%
- Disqualified: Zac Gallen, -22.2%
- Failed to qualify: Suarez, -20.0%; Perdomo, -12.6%
Looked for a while like it would be a very quiet Gameday Thread, before things picked up over the final third, for obvious reasons. Comment of the night to Justin for his Olympics themed one. The Olympics may also be why this recap took a bit longer than usual!
Same two teams tomorrow night, with a 5:10 pm first pitch, and Brandon Pfaadt starting for the Diamondbacks. I’d not mind if the victory is a little less stressful.