Diamondbacks Outlast Cubs, Win 3-2 in 10 Innings

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is known more for his bat than his glove, but it was his defense that might have been the difference in the Diamondbacks 3-2 extra inning victory over the Cubs.

Gurriel cut down Yan Gomes trying to advance to second base on a ball off the left field wall with one out in the 9th inning. Gurriel played the ball perfectly, spun and threw quickly to Geraldo Perdomo covering the bag, who got down a good tag. It turned out to be a huge play in 1-1 ballgame, as the next batter Nick Madrigal doubled.

Then in the 10th inning Paul Sewald was trying to lock down a save with a 3-1 lead. Gurriel made a great running catch on a smash off the bat of Ian Happ for the second out of the inning. The Cubs' ghost runner Mike Tauchman scored on a base hit from Bellinger, but it was the Gurriel catch that kept the inning under control. Gurriel had one other nice play in the 7th inning, making a sliding stop on a single from Dansby Swanson, keeping the ball in front of him.

For the third straight game the Diamondbacks got great pitching. Merrill Kelly got the start in this one and gutted through 5.2 innings allowing only one run. Kelly did not have his best stuff, in fact his velocity was off by 1.3 MPH on his four seamer and 1.6 MPH on his cutter. He battled his command all day, walking four batters, the seventh time this season he's walked four or more. He was able to limit the damage however, giving up just four hits, all singles.

The lone run against Kelly came on a miscommunication between Ketel Marte and rookie Jordan Lawlar. With Nico Hoerner on first base and two outs, Cody Bellinger popped up to the middle of the infield right in between Marte and Lawlar. With the sun in their eyes and the Wrigley Field wind swirling, neither player called for the ball. Marte thought it was Lawlar's play, but the rookie peeled off to cover second base and the ball dropped about six feet to Marte's right. A hustling Hoerner came all the way around to score on the play which gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead at the time.

The D-backs tied it up in the fourth against Cubs starter Justin Steele. Corbin Carroll singled, stole second, moved to third on Emmanuel Rivera's base hit and scored on a Gabriel Moreno ground out. Justin Steele, starting for the Cubs didn't allow another run in his seven innings of work giving up six hits, and striking out six. He lowered his ERA to an National League best 2.49, strengthening his Cy Young credentials.

Kelly loaded the bases with two outs in the 6th inning, but Ryan Thompson came in to get the last out and then retired the side in order in the 7th. Andrew Saalfrank and Kevin Ginkel each pitched scoreless frames to get the game to extra innings.

The D-backs finally broke through with a couple of runs in the top of the 10th. Geraldo Perdomo had replaced Ketel Marte in the 8th. Marte left the game with a right knee contusion from a foul ball on the first pitch of the game in the first inning. Perdomo put down a sacrifice bunt to get ghost runner Moreno over to third. Lawlar was hit on the hand with a pitch and from there it all broke down for the Cubs. A wild pitch gave the D-backs the lead and moved Lawlar up to third and then Tommy Pham singled to left to drive in Lawlar with the critical second run.

Kelly's final line was 5.2 IP, 4H, 1 ER, 4BB, 6K in the no decision. Ginkel got the win with his scoreless inning, and has an 8-0 record. Sewald picked up his 32nd save, and 11th in 13 chances with the Diamondbacks. Torey Lovullo had nothing but praise for his starter, pointing out the lone run against him was due to a fielding mistake. Lovullo wasn't worried about the walks. "He was in control of each at bat. I know there were some walks there. But I don't care. Merrill goes and makes pitches when he has to. He gets the job done and he pitched into the 6th inning of a game we won. He did his job"

While acknowledging the couple of mistakes in this game, he did not let that overshadow how well the team played today. "When we needed to we rebounded, we did the things we're supposed to do. We played fast, we played aggressive, we played fearless, and it showed up at the right times and helped us win a game"

After an early miscue in the field, Defense, good pitching and a couple of breaks get Diamondbacks the win in extras https://t.co/CWJFLoTDby #MLBFilmRoom via @MLB
— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) September 9, 2023

The D-backs have now taken three straight from the Cubs, and allowed just four runs. They've draw within one game for the second wild card spot. If they are able to complete the sweep tomorrow they will be tied with Chicago for the 2nd wild card spot and earn the season tiebreaker over the Cubs. Brandon Pfaadt will pitch for Arizona, and Kyle Hendricks is on the mound for Chicago. First pitch is at 11:20 MST