The Arizona Diamondbacks recorded four base hits and one walk. They did not record an RBI. And yet, as Paul Sewald collected the final out of the night, the D-backs walked out with a 2-1 win over the Atlanta Braves, ending the losing streak.
In the second inning, facing a 1-0 deficit, the D-backs got singles from catcher Gabriel Moreno and third baseman Nolan Arenado. With one out, rookie phenom Jose Fernandez laid down a perfect bunt toward the third-base line.
Braves starter Bryce Elder fired an errant throw to first base, allowing both Moreno and Arenado to come around and score. The runs were attributed to the error, and Fernandez did not earn two RBI.
Diamondbacks hold on for tight win over Braves
Those would be the only runs the D-backs would need through an impressive night of pitching, both by their starter and bullpen.
Right-hander Michael Soroka followed up his historic debut outing with another sturdy-looking line, allowing just one earned run over five innings.
He did, however, seem to struggle a bit more with his command in this contest, walking three batters to go along with three base hits. He needed a high pitch count to go the distance with 90 pitches thrown (57 for strikes), but the number that mattered most was the singular run.
After five innings of Soroka, the D-backs got scoreless appearances by all three of the relievers who worked. Taylor Clarke pitched a shutout sixth, Jonathan Loaisiga threw the seventh and Juan Morillo took care of the eighth. Not one of those arms needed more than 14 pitches to do so.
Closer Paul Sewald bounced back from an ugly non-save ninth inning on Friday — in which he surrendered a pair of solo home runs — to record a 1-2-3 save with two strikeouts.
As positive as it is to see the D-backs’ bullpen rebound and hold on to close games, Arizona’s offense continues to be a concern.
D-backs’ offense shut down again