The Diamondbacks were three outs away from dropping the series finale against the Kansas City Royals but scored five runs in the top of the ninth to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in an 8-6 win at Kauffman Stadium. Instead of a frustrating series loss, it turned into a thrilling win and a shot in the arm.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“That’s the type of team we were, we don’t give up until the final out,” catcher Gabriel Moreno told Dbacks TV reporter Jody Jackson through team interpreter Alex Arpiza.
Arizona entered the inning trailing 4-3 and hitless in their first six at-bats with runners in scoring position. An infield single by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and a walk by Geraldo Perdomo set the stage for Moreno, who came off the bench earlier in the game. Moreno got a hanging slider out over the plate from James McArthur, splitting the right-center gap to give the Diamondbacks a 5-4 lead. After an infield hit, Ketel Marte launched his third home run in as many games to straightaway center field to pad the lead to four runs.
Thanks to Moreno and Marte’s heroics, the Diamondbacks now had a 8-4 lead. Bringing in closer Paul Sewald, there was a little bit of turbulence in the ninth. Singles by Maikel Garcia, Bobby Witt Jr., and Pasquantino drew the Royals within two, but Sewald was able to retire Salvador Pérez on a fly ball to left field to finish the game.
“It was a character win, I think the guys dug as deep as they could,” manager Torey Lovullo told Jackson. “I think good teams can toggle and have good and bad moments, and know how to flush it, come out, and do something like we did in the ninth inning.”
The Diamondbacks scored first off Michael Wacha when Eugenio Suárez golfed a moonshot off a Michael Wacha changeup in the second. Joc Pederson and Christian Walker added back-to-back home runs in the fourth, with the former recording his 200th career home run, to take a 3-1 lead in the fourth. Both Pederson and Walker last homered on July 4 at Dodger Stadium.
Unfortunately, the lead would not last long. Michael Massey opened the bottom half of the inning with a double then advanced to third after Nelson airmailed a fastball to the backstop. Freddy Fermin was rung up on a cutter that nipped the very top of the zone. Following a walk to Drew Waters, the Diamondbacks had a chance to get out of the inning with no damage. Maikel Garcia hit a two-hopper up the middle that Ketel Marte could not handle, leading to Arizona only getting one out and the Royals cutting the lead to one.
With Nelson unable to get his third double play in four innings, that extended the inning. Kyle Isbel got a hold of a center-cut fastball and split the left-center gap for an RBI triple. Isbel scored the go-ahead run when Nelson yanked a changeup past catcher José Herrera. However, Nelson was still able to salvage a six-inning start with just those four runs, allowing Lovullo to use his bullpen in a tight ball game.
The Diamondbacks had a couple of prime opportunities to get the tying run across. Perdomo doubled down the right field line and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Herrera. With a drawn-in infield, Corbin Carroll ripped a hard ground ball right at Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and Joc Pederson grounded out to second.
In the eighth, the Diamondbacks got a gift baserunner from Hunter Harvey when his slider hit Carroll on the right foot to start the inning. Carroll stole second and advanced to third on a groundout. Following an intentional walk to Pederson that put the go-ahead run on base, Walker hit a fly ball too shallow and Jake McCarthy grounded out to short. Despite the frustration of not capitalizing in that inning, they found a way to move on and come up with the big hits when they needed them most.
Next Game
The Diamondbacks return home to Arizona to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates and Diamondbacks are one of six teams within three games of the top Wild Card spot, so this upcoming series has huge implications in the race. Following an off day on Thursday, the two teams will square off at Chase Field. Luis Ortiz (5-2, 2.57 ERA) goes for Pittsburgh while Zac Gallen (7-5, 3.64 ERA) starts for Arizona. First pitch will be at 6:40 P.M. MST.
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
