Ryne Nelson wasn’t sharp and the bullpen could only hold so long, resulting in the D-Backs adding to their league-leading tally of losses when scoring 5+ runs.
Game Summary
Apple TV showed a graphic early in the game about MLB teams records when scoring 5 runs or more. Coming into tonight, the Diamondbacks had scored at least 5 runs in a game the second most times in baseball. They also held the distinction of having the most losses when scoring at least 5 runs. How fitting, then, that the Snakes would go on to lose this game where they scored 5 runs.
After carrying a perfecto into the 6th inning of his last start, Ryne Nelson was anything but perfect on this night. He gave up a leadoff homer as part of a 4-run first inning, and while he didn’t give up any more runs, he didn’t really look good in the remaining frames, either. He could only get through 4 innings tonight and he didn’t record a single 1-2-3 inning as his control never really stayed with him for longer than a batter or two. Coming off of one of the best starts of his career, tonight was certainly a let down.
Only getting 4 innings out of the starter tonight didn’t do any favors to the bullpen, who lost another arm to the IL prior to the night’s ballgame. While Kyle Backhus did give up the winning run in the 9th, I don’t think this loss was totally on the bullpen. Tony Disco came on in the 6th and danced his way through 3 scoreless innings (though plenty of credit to the defense would be warranted with a couple awesome plays being made in the outfield to keep the game close). Bullpen is going to be a problem for this team, probably the problem that makes this team Sellers at the deadline, but it wasn’t all bad tonight on that front.
It’s a shame that the injury bug has made a relentless assault on our pitching staff this year and likely doomed them to a second-half of this season in purgatory, because this team is still fighting. After watching their best pitcher over the past calendar year get shelled in the first, the offense came out and got all 4 runs right back with a homer and stringing together some hits at the bottom of the order. Then, in the 8th inning, Randal Grichuk got his second homer of the ballgame to even the score. Even in the 9th, the top of the order hit 3 balls extremely hard off Kenley Jansen, but the result was 3 outs when it very easily could’ve been a few hits (the expected Batting Average on the 3 balls were .810, .410, .430 in order). Baseball can be cruel. Injuries stink. But our team hasn’t quit. They still made plays that put a smile on my face. The results aren’t what I wanted, but I enjoyed this Friday night of baseball.
Loss Probability and Box Score
Outside the Box Score
- After being perfect through 5 innings of his last start, Ryne Nelson gave up a home run to the Angels lead off hitter to start his night. He then gave up a walk and hustle double before recording his first out of the evening on a sac fly. It took 22 pitches. Unfortunately, the boulder kept rolling downhill in the inning, with the Angels recording an average EV of 100.3 mph in the inning and plating a total of 4 runs. Nelson finished the inning with 35 pitches thrown.
- The Diamondbacks offense responded to the 4 run onslaught on Nelson in the first with 4 runs of their own in the second. The tying run of the inning was scored by Alek Thomas who was given the green light by Shaun Larkin on a fairly risky send. The ball beat Alek to the plate, but the catcher didn’t corral the throw and Alek was safe. The 4 run rally was constituted of 6 straight men reaching base.
- Geno and Naylor led off the third inning by both reaching, but it was about the luckiest way 2 men reached in a row that we’ll probably see all year. Suarez started with a routine grounder to third that just clanked off Yoan Moncada’s glove at third for an error. Then Naylor swung out of his helmet, but the ball ended up dribbling about 20 feet up the third baseline and settled in No Man’s Land for an infield single. The luck stopped there, as the next 2 D-Backs hitters recorded 3 outs and ended the inning.
- Zack Neto, the Angels’ lead-off man, reached first base to start off the 4th inning on a bleater into short right field. When it was hit, I thought it would probably be caught, but then I was reminded that it wasn’t Corbin in RF tonight. The ball ended up dropping a few feet in front of Randal Grichuk. Fortunately, Ryne was able to relieve himself of that leadoff baserunner by picking off Neto at first (after review, of course, because no one is ever called out on a pickoff in the age of replay).
- Blaze Alexander is doing his best to bring back the feeling of horror I used to get watching him field in early 2024. Early on, he clanked a grounder that was hit right to him, but to his credit he kept it in front of him and didn’t panic while eventually recording the out. In the fourth inning though, his old ways of making every infield pop up an adventure returned. On a sky-high infield fly hit directly between first and second base, both Josh Naylor and Blaze Alexander lost the ball in the lights. When Blaze realized Naylor didn’t see it either, he had a look of dread before he finally picked the ball back up and lunged forward, but he saw it too late and didn’t make the catch. It did all work out as the runner on first was hung out to dry and was thrown out at second.
- Kendall Graveman came on in the fifth inning and gave up a 1-out walk. The baserunner appeared to be out when Herrera dropped a throw a few feet to the right side of second base. The baserunner appeared to be in contact with Domo’s glove as the ball went into it, but the second base umpire called obstruction, Gerry’s second such call in the span of a week or so, and he was called safe without ability for the D-Backs to review. That would prove critical as the next hitter drove him home with a double to give the Angels a 5-4 lead.
- With the bullpen being what it is right now, our defense needs to be top shelf to soak up as many extra outs as possible. Alek Thomas, whose defense in the part of the year was not up to his usual Gold Glove standard, made another spectacular play to get the first out for Tony Disco in the 7th. Logan O’Hoppe smoked a line drive (112 mph!) to Alek’s glove side in center. Alek reacted quickly and was able to snag the sinking liner on a slide.
- Alek Thomas got a single through the hole on the left side for his second hit of the evening. Significance of this? Both hits tonight were off of lefties. Alek has only recorded 2 hits off lefties in the same game one other time in his career, all the way back in 2022!
- The Angels tried something interesting in the 8th, though I’m not positive it was intentional. With runners at first and second and only one out, the Angels lead runner took off for third on a steal attempt. Usually that is paired with the trail runner stealing second, but a counter to that recently has been the catchers throwing to second and getting the trail runner out as they are usually a step late in their break to second. Tonight, the Angels kept that trail runner at first, eliminating that possibility. The pitch wasn’t a great one for Herrera to try and throw to third on, but it certainly looked like the catcher was surprised there was no play to be made at second and he ended up eating it. Fortunately, that runner on third with less than 2 outs did not come in to score, thanks in large part to a stupendous defensive play from Lourdes Gurriel in left. His defense has also taken a step back this year, but his sprinting/stretching/falling catch on a well-placed gapper in left-center saved the night (at least for now) for the Snakes.
Comment of the Game
A light GDT tonight with a total of 195 comments at time of publishing. Only a few Sedona red comments, and Diamondhacks had two of them! I feel his observation here fits the tone and outcome of the game the best. Wish I could’ve picked Snake-Bitten’s wood chuckin’ Grichuk rhyme, though.
Coming Up
The Diamondbacks face the Angels in the second game of this interleague series tomorrow with a 6:38pm first pitch Arizona time. Zac Gallen gets the ball for the good guys tomorrow and he’ll be opposed by veteran southpaw Yusei Kikuchi who is 3-6 but sports a dazzling 3.02 ERA.