Diamondbacks 3, Washington 1: A Pyrrhic Finale

A win! But at what cost?

Record: 28-31. Pace: 77-85. Change on 2024: +1.

I wanted to use today’s thunderstorm across the Phoenix metro as a metaphor for rejuvenation and cleansing. The rain was meant to wash away the stink of the last few weeks of Diamondbacks baseball. And in some ways, it did.

The thunderstorm’s symbolism, however, could also stand for one of the oldest cliches in the book.

When it rains, it pours.

Yes, the Diamondbacks held on for a 3-1 victory over Washington for their first win in nearly a week. And it sure was nice to see the bullpen work through one clean frame after another to counter the offensive amnesia that gripped the lineup from the second inning on.

But as someone who writes for a living, I know better than to bury the lede.

Corbin Burnes’ untimely departure with one out to go in the fifth inning is the story the baseball world will be talking about today – and depending on the severity of his injury – through the week(s) to come.

You can already hear it in their voices if you listen close enough.

“Oh, those poooor D-backs fans. Haven’t they already been through enough?”

Well, apparently not.

Burnes removed himself from the game after 70 pitches, the last one a 91 mph cutter taken into right field by CJ Abrams. Burnes immediately knew something was wrong when the pitch left his hand. He confirmed to Diamondbacks trainer Ryan Dipanfilo that it had to do with his elbow. “My elbow’s done, it’s dead,” he was captured saying on the broadcast.

The velo on Burnes’ cutter had dropped a couple ticks by the time he left the game, an indication that his arm wasn’t responding the way he’d like.

Any conjecture on what the injury is, and how long Burnes might be sidelined, will be answered by an MRI on Monday. Burnes said postgame that he felt tightness and didn’t feel the need to push through it. A smart decision that hopefully saves him weeks, if not months of recovery time.

In the event that Burnes does have to miss time, the Diamondbacks could reinstate Ryne Nelson back into the starting rotation after moving him to the bullpen Saturday ahead of Eduardo Rodriguez’s return. Bringing back one starter just in time to lose another isn’t great, especially when the outgoing pitcher is your ace and the incoming one has severely underperformed. But Nelson’s presence does save the Diamondbacks from having to find an alternative guy to plug into the rotation.

(Side note, if Arizona chooses to leave Nelson in the ‘pen, I’m curious who y’all think would be Burnes’ replacement).

What else happened?

If you happened to tune in to today’s game exactly five at bats into the bottom of the first inning, you probably aren’t thrilled about your return on investment.

The Diamondbacks offense struck fast and furious in the opening frame and then decided that was enough scoring for a Sunday.

Ketel Marte opened the first inning with a single and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. drove him in two batters later with a loud double to right center.

Eugenio Suarez then hit an even louder two-run homer that traveled 466 feet past the deepest part of the yard. Suarez took advantage of Nationals starter Mitchell Parker laying an 84 mph splitter over the middle third of the plate. According to MLB’s Sarah Langs, it was the longest homer Suarez has hit under Statcast (2015). Suarez’s 16 home runs put him in a tie for fifth in the National League.

Arizona’s bats went quiet after that, as Parker didn’t allow another hit. The Nationals’ notoriously flimsy bullpen didn’t allow a hit either, though Arizona did have an excellent scoring opportunity in the sixth. Geraldo Perdomo made it to third base with no outs via a walk and a throwing error. Suarez hit a slow roller to Washington third baseman Jose Tena, and Perdomo took off for home. A laser throw by Tena beat him by a foot, marking the 12th time a Diamondbacks runner has been thrown out at home this season. This time it wasn’t third base coach Shaun Larkin’s fault.

Whereas Arizona’s offense was out of character much of the day, Burnes pitched to form prior to the injury, striking out six Nationals while allowing four hits and one walk.

Burnes was tagged for an earned run in the fifth after leaving the game. Jordan Beeks gave up a walk followed by an RBI single from Nathaniel Lowe.

Christian Mena pitched two solid innings and picked up the win. Shelby Miller tossed a flawless eighth inning, and Justin Martinez sat the Nats down 1-2-3 in the ninth. Martinez has recorded back-to-back dominant saves after the disastrous outing in St. Louis last Saturday.

On an otherwise unnerving day for the Diamondbacks pitching staff, it was good to see the bullpen deliver.

[Editorial note] I’m somewhat new to these parts of Diamondbacks internet but look forward to contributing more to Snake Pit. I can tell by the gameday threads just how enthusiastic this group is about baseball, and I’m proud to be one more member. If you’re an Arizona Wildcats fan, you’ve probably come across my work at sister site AZDesertSwarm. I’m a UofA grad, but please don’t hold that against me for Kevin Ginkel’s struggles. I also share the same high school as Daniel Hudson, which makes today’s game the perfect place to trot out my writing here.

Bells and whistles, by Jim

Yes, I’m fresh back from an afternoon of light to moderate gambling, and moderate to heavy Swedish 70’s pop music. Good to see win; the news about Burnes, not so much. Seems that Ryne Nelson’s trip to the bullpen might be short lived after all. Elbow tightness is never a good thing. Here’s what Corbin had to say about it afterward:

Thanks to Ezra for his recap, and look forward to seeing him again in future. Just over 300 comments in the Gameday Thread. Not many red in-game, with concern about Burnes the main theme, for obvious reasons. We’ll give Comment of the Game to Worleybird27:

Undefeated in June, baby! And that record will stand for at least another 24 hours… because the D-backs are off tomorrow. They head to Atlanta, for the start of a six-game road-trip, with three against the Braves. First pitch is 4:15 pm on Tuesday, by which point I will be 5,000 miles from Arizona, so accepting no responsibility for anything. Zac Gallen starts for the D-backs there.