The Diamondbacks continue to build confidence, defeating the San Francisco Giants 8-5 at Chase Field for their fourth consecutive win. They got contributions all over the lineup, with eight starters recording a hit. They scored eight runs without the benefit of a home run, thanks to going 6-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“We’re starting to play really good baseball, our type of baseball,” said Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo on the television broadcast. “We get runners on base, we continue to have very stubborn at-bats, have an all-fields approach. The name of the game is execution at the most critical moments. For a pitcher to stand up and make a pitch when he has to or that at-bat when there are runners out there and damage can be done, we’re having a lot of success with that.”
The scoring began in the third, started by another bottom-of-the-order rally. Jake McCarthy grounded the ball through the hole at shortstop to lead off the frame. Blaze Alexander hit another grounder in the hole that Schmitt could not get a small piece of, hustling into second with a double. With two runners in scoring position, Kevin Newman lined a ball off two-time Platinum Glove winner Matt Chapman to score both runners. They tacked on another run on a Gabriel Moreno sacrifice fly. The seven through nine hitters in the Diamondbacks lineup went 5-for-11 at the plate, scoring four runs, and driving in three.
“Our job is to flip the lineup,” said Alexander, who finished 3-for-4 on the night, on the television broadcast. “Get our big boppers up, get Ketel up, get Gurriel, get Walker up. We’re going to grind down there, get inside-out hits, do whatever we can to pass the baton and get those guys up.”
After the Giants scored a run off Walston in the fourth, the Diamondbacks answered in the following inning. Christian Walker doubled to lead off the frame, then advanced to third on a ground ball to short that Schmitt booted. Kyle Harrison nearly wiggled off the hook after a fielder’s choice out at home and a strikeout, but Alexander lined a single to left to drive home Randal Grichuk. That proved to be a critical at-bat, as it didn’t allow the Giants to start chipping at the lead.
The early run support was huge for left-hander Blake Walston, who struggled to get on the same page with Moreno and to throw strikes. Walston allowed two runs in 4 1/3 innings, walking four and striking out two. He was under constant duress in his start, falling behind hitters, running deep counts, and dealing with constant traffic on the bases. His start came to a head in the second inning, loading the bases with one out. Walston struck out Schmitt, then induced a fly ball out to escape the inning with no damage. Despite those struggles, he was able to keep the Giants from putting together any big innings to creep back in the ballgame. However, the pitch count climbed and the lineup turned over a third time through in a close game so Lovullo turned to the bullpen to finish the game.
“Blake went out there today, and I felt like he was grinding as hard as he could,” said Lovullo. “There were some long innings and high pitch counts. I was trying to do all I could to get him a win, but it didn’t pan out. We had to turn it over to the bullpen.”
Kevin Ginkel allowed one of the two inherited runners to score on a bloop single by Patrick Bailey, but held the Giants there in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Joe Mantiply got a key out in the 6th, inducing a ground ball to shortstop that Newman made a nice play on to retire Brett Wisely. Justin Martinez pitched around an infield hit and a walk, freezing Matt Chapman on a 101 MPH sinker to put a zero in the seventh.
As the bullpen was putting the clamps on the Giants lineup, the offense blew the game open in the seventh. Alexander picked up his third hit in as many at-bats, rolling a ground ball through the right side of the infield. Following a sacrifice bunt where no San Francisco player covered second, Ketel Marte drew a walk. Moreno came up and blooped a ball into shallow left to extend the Diamondbacks lead to three. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. doubled home two more runs, then scored on a Randal Grichuk single off the glove of Wisely.
Despite carrying a six-run lead, the game got a little close for comfort. After retiring the first two hitters, Bryce Jarvis issued back-to-back walks before serving up a three-run home run to pinch-hitter Mike Yastrzemski. That forced the Diamondbacks to use Paul Sewald for the third time in four days. Sewald locked down the ninth, with the help of another good play by Newman, striking out the final two hitters to secure his sixth save of the season.
The Diamondbacks (29-32) will have a chance to sweep the Giants (29-33) with a win on Wednesday afternoon. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery (3-3, 5.48 ERA) will pitch for Arizona, while Jordan Hicks (4-2, 2.70 ERA) will go for San Francisco. First pitch at Chase Field will be at 12:40 P.M. MST.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona Cardinals for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
