PHOENIX — One of the many problems with the Arizona Diamondbacks blowing a six-run lead to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday was that it set up one of the best pitchers in baseball, Paul Skenes, to go out and steal the series on Wednesday.
Skenes did just that, but the Diamondbacks’ problems dug so much deeper in a 10-1 defeat.
In terms of pitching, defense and hitting, nothing went right. The Diamondbacks suffered their most lopsided defeat of the season, a hangover after another late blown lead. They fell to a season-worst two games under .500 at 27-29.
“Pretty displeased I think, from a clubhouse standpoint,” starting pitcher Zac Gallen said of the mood. “We know we have a lot more talent and we’re a better baseball team than how we’re really playing right now.
“It kind of starts with me, really. I’m not giving us a chance to win when I’m out there. We got a lot of talent, a really good culture … I get that it’s still a third of the way, the season’s still not over yet, but time’s ticking.”
Gallen’s ERA continues to climb, as the D-backs have dropped his last four starts. His outing started off efficiently, as he worked through four innings with 42 pitches and one earned run. The wheels started to come off in the fifth and sixth innings, both in regards to his execution and the team’s defense.
He started three separate innings with a lead-off walk followed by a single to put himself in a bind. In all three cases, the Pirates scored, as he was tagged with five earned runs in five-plus innings to increase his season ERA to 5.54.
“There were pitches I missed by an entire plate,” Gallen said of his command struggles. “I was trying to go in and missed in the other batter’s box. It feels very uncharacteristic. I know lately the walks have been an issue. Those are frustrating.”
Arizona’s defense on Wednesday was downright poor.
Jordan Lawlar — filling in with Ketel Marte under the weather — committed two errors at second base. The first ended up being harmless, but a throwing error with the bases loaded and no outs in the fifth inning allowed an unearned run to score.
Relays were not crisp, balls were bobbled, grounders were misplayed in the outfield. It was a team-wide mess and evidence that their collective focus was lacking.
When asked what stood out, manager Torey Lovullo said, “all of it.”
The Pirates ended up putting up a game-sealing five runs in the sixth inning, the second five-spot in as many days for what was MLB’s lowest-scoring team entering play on Tuesday.
“We gotta pick up the baseball defensively,” Lovullo said. “There were some missed cut-off men. … I want guys to attack the zone with their best stuff. I don’t like 1-2 to 3-2 counts. When it’s 1-2, you finish a hitter off with your best stuff. Don’t let major league hitters get back into counts.
“Nothing against the Pirates, but I think they went a month without scoring five runs in a game. They did that twice in one inning against us. That’s unacceptable. We’re better than that.”
The Pirates did not score five runs in any game from April 23 to May 21. And yet, they outscored the D-backs 19-0 from the end of the fourth inning on Tuesday through the eighth inning on Wednesday.
Skenes, meanwhile, cruised through a gem of a start with few problems.
Corbin Carroll hit a ground-rule double with two outs in the third inning but didn’t score. That was the only extra-base hit for Arizona off Skenes, as the Diamondbacks’ offense largely shut down since their five-run fourth inning on Tuesday.
Skenes finished with 6.2 scoreless innings, four hits, no walks and seven strikeouts.
Tim Tawa ended Pittsburgh’s shutout bid with a pinch-hit home run in the ninth.
The D-backs (27-29) have lost three straight series and seven of their last eight games overall. Wednesday’s performance was the first time in this stretch when they just got crushed, arguably the single lowest point in a season with massive peaks and valleys.
They have dropped to two games under .500 for the first time since July 9, 2024.
“ I think I’m a very patient person, but I have a breaking point and I know you guys can sense that I’m there,” Lovullo said.
“They’re responsible, they’re accountable and they all know internally what they’re supposed to do to help this get better. … I think the clubhouse is in a good spot. I think they’re really, really frustrated and wanting good things to happen immediately. But it’s not gonna get better until we make it get better.”
Diamondbacks’ next game
The D-backs get Thursday off to reset before starting a three-game series with the Washington Nationals.
Arizona and Washington begin a three-game set on Friday at 6:40 p.m.
