ANAHEIM — The Arizona Diamondbacks overcame a four-run deficit to tie Friday’s ballgame, but Los Angeles Angels pinch hitter Travis d’Arnaud won it with a walk-off single in the ninth inning, 6-5.

Before the game, manager Torey Lovullo strayed from his typical game-to-game rhetoric and told his players he wanted to win all three games at Angel Stadium to enter the All-Star break. Instead, the Diamondbacks ensured they will enter the break under .500, falling to 46-49 with two games in the “first half.”

“It is pretty disappointing, but we can’t do anything about it,” Lovullo said. “All we can do is live to fight another day … When the All-Star break happens, we’re gonna be under .500. Maybe it’ll create a little bit of a fire.”

Travis d’Arnaud laces one to left to win it for the @Angels 😤 pic.twitter.com/DS3cQZEFvl

— MLB (@MLB) July 12, 2025

d’Arnaud came up with runners on first and second, one out against D-backs lefty Kyle Backhus in the bottom of the ninth, and he dumped a 2-2 sweeper into no-man’s land in left field. Logan O’Hoppe scored after having reached base on a hit-by-pitch.

Arizona fell behind 4-0 in the first inning, as the Angels jumped on D-backs starter Ryne Nelson. Randal Grichuk hit a two-run shot to get the offense going in the second, as it sparked a game-tying four-run rally.

Grichuk tied the game at five in the eighth inning on a solo shot crushed to center field, his first multi-homer game of the season. And yet, chalk Friday up to another close game in which the D-backs showed fight but came up short.

The Diamondbacks fell to 11-19 in one-run games this season. They have dropped their last seven one-run games.

Only the Braves, White Sox and Pirates have more one-run defeats. In comparison, the Padres and Giants are 20-13, and 22-16 in such games, respectively.

“ I mean, just frustrating,” Grichuk said. “We feel like we’re in pretty much every game and can compete with anyone. Ball didn’t bounce our way or we don’t get the big hit and we fall short.”

“We’ve been playing a lot of close games,” shortstop Geraldo Perdomo said. “Sometimes we’re hitting, sometimes we don’t hit, sometimes we play bad defense. … It’s been painful for us, but like I said, we just need to move on and try to win these two games and come in with a lot of energy and hunger to win a lot of games in the second half.”

Both the Padres and Giants won on Friday, so the D-backs dropped to six games back of the third NL Wild Card spot.

Torey Lovullo after a walk-off loss to the Angels.

The D-backs will go into the break under .500. They are 11-19 in one-run games. pic.twitter.com/zISKP4qozX

— Alex Weiner (@alexjweiner) July 12, 2025

What happened between Diamondbacks-Angels?

Nelson allowed four earned runs over his last three starts combined, but the Angels jumped on his early mistakes over the plate.

Zach Neto blasted a lead-off home run on Nelson’s second pitch, a center-cut fastball driven out to left field. Yoan Moncada hit a two-run shot five batters later, as Los Angeles racked up five hits and a walk to bring nine men to the plate.

Nelson settled in somewhat after that 35-pitch opening frame, delivering three scoreless innings with two hits and three walks. He was done after four innings at 87 pitches, ending a streak of five starts with at least five innings pitched.

“It’s just unfortunate that you lose by one run and you give up four. It doesn’t sit very well with you,” Nelson said.

The Diamondbacks managed to climb back in immediately off Angeles left-hander Tyler Anderson, also bringing nine hitters to the plate.

Grichuk crushed a two-run home run 430 feet to left field, after which Blaze Alexander and Alek Thomas hit back-to-back doubles.

Arizona put a runner in scoring position in each of the next three innings but failed to do more damage against Anderson.

The Angels took the lead, 5-4, in the fifth inning off reliever Kendall Graveman. O’Hoppe walked with two outs, stole second and scored on a Luis Rengifo double flared into right.

The Diamondbacks’ bullpen walked the tightrope in the later innings, as Anthony DeSclafani stranded two runners in both the sixth and eighth innings in a bend-don’t-break outing. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. came to the rescue with a sliding grab to end the eighth to maintain the tie.

Randal Grichuk blasts his second homer of the day and ties things up for the @Dbacks! pic.twitter.com/O40gZHTHQZ

— MLB (@MLB) July 12, 2025

Backhus started the ninth inning with an out, but a 3-2 sweeper got away and plunked O’Hoppe. Rengifo punched a 2-0 sinker into center field to put the pressure on, and d’Arnaud just got his hands around a sweeper on the inside edge.

“Some tough losses, but I think the guys are battling,” Nelson said. “Trying to scrap and claw and do everything we can to win. I think that’s what it’s gonna take down the stretch. I don’t think the record right now really shows what we have in this clubhouse.”

“We have a lot of good players, the owner, GM, president, everybody spent a lot of money on this team and we haven’t performed how we’re supposed to do. It’s kind of frustrating,” Perdomo said.

Corbin Carroll was out of the lineup for rest after playing six straight games off the injured list. He was available to play in extra innings if the D-backs forced free baseball.

Up next for Diamondbacks

The D-backs continue their series in Anaheim on Saturday at 6:38 p.m. MST.

Zac Gallen (5.15 ERA) will make his final start before the break against Angels All-Star left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (3.02 ERA).

Catch the game on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.