The Diamondbacks were coming off consecutive losses in which their pitching got overwhelmed by the Padres’ relentless offense. In those two losses, they were outscored 23-4. With uncertainty in which how they were going to deploy their pitching staff, the offense made sure they had a commanding lead to make the game easier for manager Torey Lovullo to operate with. Arizona scored nine runs in the first four innings to cruise to a 9-3 victory over San Diego.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“This team came out ready to play and showed how tough they are,” said Lovullo on the Diamondbacks’ television broadcast, “Yesterday was not an easy game to sit and watch, or have to play in, and the guys responded as well as I’d hope. They made a statement from the first pitch of the game all the way to the last pitch.”
The Diamondbacks put immediate pressure on rookie starter Adam Mazur, who was previously pitching for the Padres’ Double-A affiliate before getting pressed into duty due to injuries in their starting rotation. Corbin Carroll singled to lead off the game and Christian Walker drove him home with a single, giving them a lead. Even though San Diego tied it in the bottom half of the first, the unrelenting pressure eventually got to Mazur in the second inning.
The Diamondbacks’ offense is at their best when the bottom of the order starts rallies, allowing the top and middle of the order hitters to do some damage on the scoreboard. They opened with four straight singles, including a go-ahead two-run single from Joc Pederson. After a tough at-bat for Christian Walker, who struck out for the first out of the frame, the next two batters picked him up in a big way. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. doubled and Jake McCarthy homered, turning it into a big inning and allowing the team to play downhill the rest of the way.
In the game, Arizona pounded out 15 hits and drew four walks. However, the most impressive part came in their most critical at-bats early. The Diamondbacks had eight hits in their first 12 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
“That tells me that they’re locked in and focused,” said Lovullo. “Hitting with men in scoring position is an art. You don’t just go up there wildly and swing and expect to get extension on balls. In the areas when we didn’t, the next guy up would pick somebody up. I’m thinking of the Gurriel at-bat, that was a huge moment. That gave us a bit more of a padded lead and room to play.”
With the large lead, it gave Lovullo more flexibility in how aggressively he could manage his bullpen. Diamondbacks relievers put up zeros in the final six innings to close it out and secure a series split. In a critical week of intradivision games, they held their own with a 4-3 record and are still in the Wild Card picture.
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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
