The game started off so strong for Arizona. Then, it went pear-shaped in a hurry.
It sure didn’t take long for the fireworks to be felt in this second game of the series. After the eighth inning gave fans a single frame of big hits, Corbin Carroll put the Cubs on notice that the Diamondbacks were not going to be deflated by the previous day’s bullpen meltdown. With the win shifting about, Corbin Carroll tagged a fastball offering from Chicago’s Ben Brown straight to the batter’s eye in center field. That bit of excitement was followed by Perdomo running the count full before creating a fielding issue for Chicago’s Busch at first. After Perdomo arrived safely at first via E-3, Pavin Smith followed with a walk to bring Naylor to the plate with a chance for the Snakes to pile on. That at-bat resulted in a line-out to Swanson. The next batter was Eugenio Suarez who fell victim to the strikeout, though strike two on Brown’s knuckle curve seemed more than a tad outside. Next came Alek Thomas who also promptly struck out on the knuckle curve. So, despite an energetic start and creating a prime scoring opportunity, Arizona took the field with a lone run for the lead.
Chicago wasted no time in responding. Zac Gallen continued to struggle with his command, walking the leadoff batter, who was then driven home by Kyle Tucker when Tucker lifted a pitch to the well in right field for a triple that took an odd bounce for Carroll. Suzuki then came to the plate for the Cubs, only to have Gallen tell him to go sit down. It was nice to see a bit of swagger from the team’s opening day starter. But then, Gallen missed his spot and Busch hooked a soft liner into right to put the Cubs up 2-1. Then things really got ugly. Dansby Swanson was next , slapping a single into left field to advance the runners, only to have Jake McCarthy commit a mental error, throwing the ball behind the lead runner, allowing a free advance to third for Busch. This brought Kaplan out from the Diamondbacks’ dugout, meaning both teams managed to use a mound visit in the first inning as both starters flirted with 30-pitch frames. 94 mph at the knees took care of Hoerner. Six more pitches brought Gallen’s first to a close. All three outs came via the strikeout. But, Gallen’s lack of command elevated his pitch count substantially and cost his team the lead.
After a 30-minute first inning with the wind playing havoc with balls in the air, it was clear that this was going to be another game for fans to strap in for.
The second inning saw the Diamondbacks leave two more on base without pushing one across. Meanwhile, Gallen continued to have issues with his command. When trying to paint, he was missing too far outside to draw chase swings. When coming into the zone, he left pitches on a tee. The result was a four-run frame for the Cubs that saw Suzuki and Busch go back-to-back. By the end of the inning, Zac Gallen had tossed 64 pitches through two innings.
The third and fourth innings went much the same for the Arizona offense. Two mor innings of putting two runners on, only to strand them – with a bit of assistance in the jinx department courtesy of Berty on the Arizona broadcast. The Cubs’ fortunes, however, were much changed. After an incredibly uneven first two innings with inflated pitch counts, Gallen was suddenly locked in. Six pitches in the third and eleven in the fourth put the Cubs through six up and six down. Gallen tossed another scoreless after that as well, allowing only one hit and walking no more.
Meanwhile, Chicago’s two-pitch starter kept finding just the right amount of luck and help at just the right moments. Despite that, Brown’s pitch count escalated to the point where Craig Counsell had to finally turn to has embattled bullpen. Surely, this was going to be when Arizona’s hitters were going to start taking advantage of the gusty conditions and the numerous base runners they were getting, right?
It seems not. From the final, run-preventing out of the fourth until Tim Tawa stepped to the plate with two outs in the ninth, the Diamondbacks were 15 up and 15 down. With two out in the ninth, the Diamondbacks had only three hits in the game, all courtesy of Corbin Carroll. That’s when Tawa finally snapped the streak and put another ball into the seats. Corbin Carroll then followed with a walk, bringing the ever-pesky Geraldo Perdomo to the plate. But, just as things were getting interesting, Perdomo rolled over a pitch and ended the game by grounding out meekly to second.
Juan Morillo and J.P. Feyereisen both made their Arizona debuts, pitching scoreless frames in the seventh and eighth innings. The pair combined for no runs allowed on one hit, one walk, and three strikeouts. Alas, Chicago’s bullpen was up to the challenge today, allowing only one run (on a solo home run) and a single walk through five innings of work. So much for Chicago’s bullpen being toast.
The Diamondbacks will finish the series against the Cubs tomorrow when they send Merrill Kelly to the mound to face off against Jameson Taillon in another matinee game with first pitch being at 11:20 MST.
The biggest positives for Arizona were that Corbin Carroll remains hot, going 3-for-4 with a home run, and a walk. Pavin Smith continued to get on base, albeit via the free pass (twice). And, wonder of wonders after all the runs being put up in Chicago, the two new bullpen arms looked sharp and got the job done.
On the other side of things, the Diamondbacks squandered four premium scoring opportunities in the early stages of the game. This failure of offensive production set the table for what was a fairly pacy and complete loss. Also, outside of his one gem against the Yankees, Zac Gallen continues to struggle this season, having a difficult time settling in before the damage is already done.