Record: 25-27. Pace: 78-84. Change on 2024: 0.
Heading into the final game of the three-game series with St. Louis, the Diamondbacks had lost four in a row and were sitting atop Mount .500 at 26-26, 13-13 on the road. Nonexistent timely hits, bullpen woes, uncharacteristic miscues in the field, and just all-around uninspired play was the theme of this series and the season up to this point, and discontent brewing in the Snakepit. Is Torey the problem? Are injuries the main culprit? Bad luck? Shortage of Rockin’ Protein in the clubhouse? Whatever the issues with this team are, and there are a few of them, the Diamondbacks were looking to avoid being swept in a series where they had thus far outhit the Cardinals 20-12, only to lose the first two games.
Did I mention Sral Raabtoon is Lars Nootbaar spelled backwards? IYKYK.
The good guys started off promisingly in the first inning against Cardinals veteran Sonny Gray, with Ketel Marte singling, Josh Naylor doubling, and Eugenio Suarez bringing both runners home with a single and a 2-0 lead before the Cardinals came to bat. But because we are not allowed nice things these days, Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt promptly gave up a two-out double to Brendan Donovan, then a single to Ivan Herrera to score Donovan, which cut the lead to 2-1. Yes, the Diamondbacks still held the lead after the first inning, but you got the feeling nothing was going to come easy for our team on this day.
It didn’t. In the bottom of the third inning, the Cardinals’ Masyn Winn homered to tie the game at 2-2, followed by a brilliant sliding catch by Corbin Carroll off the bat of Donovan, robbing him of a sure extra base hit. That play delivered some excitement in the ‘Pit, and dare I say it, maybe sparked a little momentum in the visiting dugout?
No. Looking back on this game and the season, if this recapper could point to any inning as the de facto typical Diamondbacks 2025 inning, it would be the top of the 4th. Suarez singled. Pavin Smith (yes, Pavin Smith) singled. Two on, no outs for the recently heating up Gabriel Moreno, and Gray starting to look vulnerable. Gabby promptly struck out, followed by Alek Thomas (surprise, surprise) grounding into a FC. This moved Suarez to third with the pesky Geraldo Perdomo at the plate, so they could at least salvage one run, yes? No. Gerry grounded out to first. Inning over, scoring threat over, momentum over, and another 2 LOB for the box score. If that sequence doesn’t sum up the Diamondback offense this year, I’m not sure what does.
Despite the frustration of the 4th inning, the Diamondbacks actually retook the lead in the 6th, courtesy of a Pavin Smith (yes, Pavin Smith) RBI single to score Suarez. It was at this point in the game that our Fearless Leader made this wry observation:
Did the game actually go pear-shaped? Not really but suffice it to say that Jim’s comment was prescient, to the surprise of no one in the GD thread. Pfaadt, who had been steady until now, walked his first batter, Winn, at the bottom of the inning, followed by a Donovan single and Herrera sac fly, which tied the game, and the Diamondbacks would not lead again.
Pfaadt pitched 5.2 innings, giving up five hits, three runs, and striking out 5. He walked one batter, which turned into the tying run. The bullpen of Kevin Ginkel, Jalen Beeks and Juan Morillo did its job for the most part. Beeks was the losing pitcher of record, giving up a single to Victor Scott II in the 7th inning, which scored Jordan Walker for the winning 4-3 score. This play was the result of a ball that bounced off Marte’s glove, a play that he probably could have made. But that’s just how things are going these days.
Not a bad GDT for a holiday weekend game, with 348 comments as of this writing. Not too many red ones to choose from, but I’m going to go with this observation from ChefAZ. Not only did it make me laugh, but it’s also sadly almost true:
Before I turn this over to Jim for the bells and whistles, I want to wish everyone a safe and reflective Memorial Day tomorrow. I also want to thank everyone in the Pit for making this baseball community the best one (by far) I’ve ever been a part of. It really is like watching a game with friends. I think it was Dano who said these games are easier to take when sharing them with this group. I echo that sentiment.
Bring on Pittsburgh and go Diamondbacks!
Bells and whistles, by Jim
[Click to enlarge, at Fangraphs.com]
Knows where his towel is: Eugenio Suarez, +23.4%
Zaphod Beeblebrox: Pavin Smith, +18.1%
The Ravenous Bug-Blatter Beast of Traal: Corbin Carroll, -27.2%
Vogon Poetry: Gurriel, -24.8%; Beeks, -13.1%; Marte, -11.8%; Pfaadt, 11.0%; Moreno, -10.4%
Thanks to Ron for a stoic recap of the year’s first sweep against us. It’s back home to Phoenix, where the D-backs will hope to right the ship over a six-game homestand against the Pirates and Nationals. That gets under way at Chase Field tomorrow night. With it being Memorial Day, note that it’s a 5:10 pm first pitch, with Ryne Nelson taking the mound for Arizona.