Diamondbacks can't finish off Padres, fall 6-5 on Jorge Alfaro's walk-off single
The Diamondbacks took 5-0 lead in the 5th inning, but could not finish off the Padres. Merrill Kelly got bit by the long ball, allowing 4 runs on 3 home runs in 7 innings. All of the damage came from the 4th-6th hitters in the Padres lineup. Ian Kennedy couldn't quite close things out, allowing a 2-out walk-off single to Jorge Alfaro.
Josh Rojas wasted no time in giving the Diamondbacks a lead, hitting the first pitch of the game into the left field stands. That home run set the tone, as Joe Musgrove was in for a tough night. In all five innings that Musgrove started, the leadoff batter reached base.
The D-backs finally broke through in the 4th, when Corbin Carroll singled to lead off the inning. Carson Kelly hit a ground ball to third, but Carroll was able to break up a potential double play with a hard slide at 2nd. That became a big play, as Sergio Alcántara cashed in with a two-out double down the right field line to score Kelly and double the lead to 2-0.
Musgrove was chased from the game in the 5th, when the D-backs plated three runs. Daulton Varsho led off the inning with a high fly ball that barely cleared the right field fence for his 21st home run of the year. Christian Walker followed up with his 32nd home run two batters later. A single by Jake McCarthy and a walk to Carroll ended Musgrove's night at 4 2/3 innings. The D-backs final run of the inning came when Torey Lovullo started Carroll at first and stayed out of a double play on a Carson Kelly groundball, allowing McCarthy to score from 3rd.
Merrill Kelly started off the game well, retiring the first 12 hitters he faced. Kelly ran into some turbulence in the 5th, as a leadoff walk to Josh Bell became the Padres first baserunner. Back-to-back home runs by Jake Cronenworth and Ha-Seong Kim cut the D-backs lead to 5-3. Bell joined the home run parade in the 7th, cutting the lead down to one run.
After Kelly's night was over, Lovullo turned to Kyle Nelson to face a string of lefties at the bottom of the Padres order. Nelson walked pinch hitter José Azócar to lead off the inning and Jurickson Profar singled with one out to put runners on the corners. Nelson struck out Juan Soto and Reyes Moronta got Machado to pop out to first to put up a zero in the 8th.
Ian Kennedy got the chance to close it out and it was going to be a battle from the first hitter. A leadoff walk to Bell put the tying run on base. With the D-backs infield in the shift, Cronenworth hit a ground ball to second that Josh Rojas hesitated on after fielding, preventing the D-backs from turning a potential double play. Kim flied out to shallow right for the second out of the inning. That would be the final out Kennedy got tonight, with Wil Myers singling and Jose Azocar walking to load the bases for Alfaro. Alfaro hit a ground ball up the middle, scoring two runs and walking off the D-backs.
The loss was Kennedy's 7th and a MLB-leading 33rd by the D-backs bullpen this season. They had entered play tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the most number of losses by a bullpen.
In the rubber game of the series tomorrow, the Diamondbacks will send Tommy Henry to the mound to go up against Yu Darvish. First pitch will be 5:40pm MST.
