Padres Down Diamondbacks 7-5
It may be tempting for most story tellers tonight to put the emphasis on an error by Nick Ahmed in the 6th inning as the key moment in a Diamondbacks 7-5 loss to the Padres. After all it was a ball that normally Ahmed would turn into an inning ending double play. Instead he booted the ball, putting runners on first and third with one out. One out later Trent Grisham hit his second two run double of the game, breaking a 5-5 tie, driving in the winning runs against reliever Kyle Nelson.
While it's true that had Ahmed turned the double play those runs would never have scored. But it's also true that Nelson gave up the double to Grisham on a middle middle slider that didn't do anything. And while it was a smash, Thomas route to the ball was anything but direct, leaving him no chance to catch up to the ball. It seemed like that was a ball he might have caught last year but so far he hasn't been making as many of those highlight reel catches we've come to expect.
At the same time there were numerous missed opportunities before and after that play for the Diamondbacks, and meanwhile the Padres made the plays and got the outs they had to in order to win the game. Each of those events were at least as important.
The game started off with Ryne Nelson striking out the side in order in the top of the first. He got Fernando Tatis, Jr, swinging, Juan Soto looking, and Manny Machado swinging. Normally that would portend a good outing. But Nelson needed 20 pitches to accomplish the task and went to a couple of full counts in the process. That trend would continue in the second inning when he walked two batters and then gave up a two out, two run double to Grisham.
Nelson walked Soto in the third inning, and with two outs, Xander Bogaerts hit a two run blast. One inning later Nelson gave up a solo homer to Matt Carpenter that just scraped over the padding in right field. The five runs in five innings ballooned Nelson's ERA to 4.91, but thanks to his offense bailing him out, he ended up taking a no-decision.
The D-backs offense meanwhile was busy out hitting the Padres 12-7 in this game. They got singles in the first inning from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Christian Walker, giving them first and third with two outs. But Jake McCarthy flew out to center stranding those runners. They got on the board when Alek Thomas doubled with one out in the second and Geraldo Perdomo laced a 100 MPH line drive into the right field corner for an RBI triple. After a Josh Rojas walk, Gurriel Jr. struck out, and two more runners were stranded.
In the third inning Walker doubled with one out. Gabriel Moreno lifted a fly ball in the gap in left center that hung up just long enough for Grisham to make a spectacular diving catch to save a run, and stranding another runner. But the offense finally broke through with a four-run fourth inning to tie the game. Thomas and Perdomo both singled and Rojas drove them both home with a base hit. Gurriel Jr. doubled home Rojas and later came around to score on two wild pitches by Padres starter Michael Wacha.
The Padres bullpen took over from there however. Brent Honeywell pitched two scoreless innings, allowing just singles to Ahmed in the fifth and Rojas in the 6th. Rojas induced a throwing error from Honeywell on a pickoff attempt and advance to third on a fly out. But Corbin Carroll swung away at a 3-0 pitch that was at the top of the zone, popping out to the shortstop. Walker then struck out ending that threat.
The next nine D-backs hitters were retired in order. The D-backs had one more chance in the 8th when Gabriel Moreno hit a screaming line drive into the right field corner. But Tatis Jr, made a terrific running grab, with his momentum taking him half way up the bullpen fence after the catch. That saved at least a double. Instead it the was the last out of the inning. Josh Hader closed it out with another Walker Strikeout. Walker had three hits in the game though and he seems to be coming around.
In all the D-backs were 4-12 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. The Padres outfield made two spectacular plays, and the D-backs defense was not able to make a couple of plays that might have turned things around. There were a couple of other highlights for the D-backs however. Perdomo made a great slide at home to avoid a tag and score a run in the fourth innings. And the pitching staff held the top three superstars in the order, Tatis, Soto and Machado to 0-13 batting with just one walk. Finally, left-hand reliever Anthony Miesiewicz made his Diamondbacks debut without giving up a run and getting a couple of strikeouts.
The Diamondbacks fall to 11-9. They now hold just a one game lead in the standings over the Dodgers who won tonight, and a 1.5 game lead over the Padres. Game two of the four game series at Chase Field starts tomorrow night at 6:40 P.M. Zac Gallen will be on the mound for Arizona with Seth Lugo going for San Diego.
Listen to Torey Lovullo and Ryne Nelson talk about the game down below:
