Record: 51-49. Pace: 83-79. Change on 2025: +1.
After the dramatics of yesterday’s game, with a franchise-record comeback to clinch the season series against playoff rivals, tonight’s contest always had the feel of a trap game. And so it proved, as the D-backs suffered the sugar crash to end all sugar crashes. The productive offense consisted in its entirety of Ketel Marte’s two-run home-run in the sixth, briefly tying the game at two. However, the usually reliable Kevin Ginkel chose a bad time to have his worst outing in more than three and a half months, immediately giving the Athletics back those runs, – and one more for good measure. The D-backs consequently dropped the series opener, though did not lose any ground in the wild-card race.
Mitch Bratt got the start for the D-backs, and… Well, I guess you can’t complain about two runs across 4.2 innings, from a man making only his third major-league appearance. That was likely a couple more outs than I was expecting, but given the bullpen situation (as discussed in the GDT), it seems likely he was going to be pushed as far as possible. Suspect Torey Lovullo was looking for five innings, but at 84 pitches – the most Bratt had thrown this year, at any level – I absolutely get why the starter was pulled, with two outs in the fifth inning, and Athletics on the corners. He’d scattered eight hits and a walk, with four strikeouts.
Unfortunately, two of the hits left Chase Field, although each was a solo shot. One came at the start of the second to put the visitors 1-0 up, while the second came leading off the fifth inning. Indeed, both home-runs came on the very first pitch of the inning, which might be something Bratt should think about. He did throw a first-pitch strike to 19 of the 23 batters faced, which is definitely higher than MLB average. But let’s be clear: Bratt only turned 23 years old a couple of weeks ago, and under ideal circumstances i.e. other than multiple starting pitchers on the IL, would still be honing his craft in the minor leagues. No real complaints about tonight’s outing.
I did have a feeling Steve Berthiaume jinxed the offense, when he pre-gamed by telling us how the A’s starter Jeffrey Springs was leading the majors in home-runs allowed, and was exactly the kind of pitcher on which D-backs’ lead-off man Ketel Marte would feast. Naturally, Marte swung at the very first pitch, sending a harmless shallow fly ball to right field. That set the tone for the evening: you certainly wouldn’t know that Springs had allowed most earned runs of any pitcher in the AL. Through five innings, he had faced two batters over the minimum. The D-backs had managed three hits and a walk, but two runners were erased by a caught stealing and double-play.
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The former was Geraldo Perdomo in the opening innings, and was one of a number of weird plays tonight. He had previously been called out, picked off first according to umpire Hunter Wendelstedt. Except the replay clearly showed no tag was ever applied. Having dodged that bullet on appeal, Perdomo tried to steal second and was gunned down. The double-play was hit into in the second inning by Nolan Arenado, who came into the game with 1,999 career hits. However, his next time up, he duly doubled down the left-field line to reach the two thousand mark (above). There are only six active members of the 2K Hits club. Can you name the other five? Answers later.
Arizona finally broke through against Springs in the sixth, getting three hits without recording an out. Jorge Barrosa led off with a double, and Marte finally got the pitch for which he was looking. It went 402 feet down the left-field line, for Ketel’s 18th home-run of the year (below). Perdomo then got his second single, and it looked like we’d have runners on the corners with one out, as Gabriel Moreno walked as Perdomo stole second, taking third on a bad throw down by the A’s catcher. However, a perhaps suspiciously delayed ABS appeal turned the ball 4 into strike 3, so it became a man on third and two outs. Ildemaro Vargas lined out, and the game remained 2-2.
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Ginkel took over and, as noted, it did not go well. He put two aboard, then retired the next two, and it looked like he would get out of it. A comebacker pinged off him, and Kevin still threw to first in time for the inning ending out. But, wait! Another appeal reversed that decision, instead loading the bases. A bloop single and wild pitch followed, so instead of a zero, it was a very crooked three-spot for the Athletics and a 5-2 lead. That seemed to suck the life out of the Diamondbacks, though they did get the tying run to the plate in the ninth. But Ryan Waldschmidt has now gone 38 games without a homer to start his MLB career. Still some way to go for the team record: Jose Herrera didn’t homer until his 127th game.
Arizona pitchers ended up allowing 15 hits, though out of the bullpen, there were scoreless outings for Juan Burgos (likely going back to Reno tomorrow), Jonathan Loaisiga and Brandyn Garcia. Perdomo had two hits, while Barrosa walked in addition to his double. But the teams nearest to Arizona in the NL Wild-Card race also lost: the Marlins, Cardinals, Pirates and Padres all were beaten. So the D-backs remain one-half game back of the third spot for now. Though this has to be considered a lost opportunity, given the overall record of tonight’s opponent. Let’s hope for better things tomorrow.
Click here for details, at Fangraphs.com
Deep Blue Sea: Ketel Marte, +15%
The Legend of Hercules: Kevin Ginkel, -37%
Exorcist: The Beginning: Ildemaro Vargas, -11%
372 comments in the Gameday Thread, which is pretty good for a Monday night. Snake_Bitten takes home Comment of the Night for this observation:
Tomorrow night, we’re back at it with another young pitcher looking likely to start for Arizona, in the shape of Kade Stroud’s MLB debut. 6:40 pm first pitch for that.
The other active members of the 2K Hits club are (in descending order of hits): Freddie Freeman, Jose Altuve, Andrew McCutchen, Paul Goldschmidt and Manny Machado.
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