The Diamondbacks pulled out a 4-3 win over the Dodgers on Waldy’s walk-off, and the late innings delivered the kind of back-and-forth finish that kept the game hanging by a thread.
The scoring started in the second when Nolan Arenado launched a homer that barely cleared Teoscar Hernandez’s reach and just sneaked over the wall. Hernandez tracked it well enough to think he had a shot, stopping a step short before leaping at the last second, but the ball still found the first row and the hands of a fan.
Arizona answered with a defensive gem in the third. Tommy Edman sent a high drive toward right field that looked like it had tie-game written all over it, but Corbin Carroll drifted back, timed it perfectly and rose way above the fence to steal a home run. It was a massive swing in the game, especially in contrast to the missed robbery the inning before.
Merrill was sharp early and efficient, needing just 53 pitches through four innings while six of the 14 hitters he faced finished their at-bats in two pitches or fewer. The Dodgers still found some damage, though. Lars Nootbaar ripped a double in the fourth over Andy Pages in center, a shot hard enough that Pages never had a real play on it.
In the fifth, Tim Tawa showed off the running game with a steal built on a huge lead. The throw from the Dodger catcher was late and off target, and while the extra 90 feet didn’t end up being necessary, it helped set the table for Domo, who later drove the run in with a triple into the left-center gap.
The sixth inning brought both the no-hit bid and the trouble. Edman opened the frame with a hard grounder to Tawa, who made a terrific diving stop in the hole, but the throw popped out of his glove.
That was Merrill’s first hit allowed, and then he quickly wiped out the runner by picking him off after replay review overturned the safe call at first. Soon after, though, Merrill lost command, allowed a single and two walks, and left with the trainer after two outs in the inning.
He did get a possible double-play ball, but it was too slow for anything more than a force at second. The medical issue looked to be cramping, but it still ended an excellent outing on a rough note.
Juan Morillo took over and struck out Max Muncy to close the sixth, firing 100mph heat on the outside edge. Brandyn Garcia handled the next threat in the seventh after the Dodgers put runners on first and second with one out. Miguel Rojas followed with a single that nearly got caught in center, forcing the runner to hold at third, and then Shohei Ohtani grounded into an easy double play to keep the game tied.
Arizona started another push in the eighth. Gabi Moreno doubled to the wall over Teoscar’s head, and Teoscar’s misplay helped open the door.
Moreno couldn’t stretch it into a triple, but the inning kept moving with an intentional walk to Ketel and an unintentional four-pitch walk to Vargas. Nolan Arenado then battled through a 12-pitch at-bat before striking out on a half-hearted swing at a breaking ball that caught the outside corner.
Max Kepler opened the ninth with a strong plate appearance against Edwin Diaz, falling behind 1-2 before working a leadoff walk. From there, the Diamondbacks found their finish and turned it into a 4-3 win.
In Other News...
Brandon Pfaadt Is Forcing A Diamondbacks Question No One Expected
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Pfaadts latest outing only sharpened the conversation around what comes next. Since his return to the rotation, he has settled in with an ERA of 1.32 and has not allowed an earned run in August, a stretch that makes it harder for Arizona to treat him like anything other than a real part of the staff moving forward. For a team trying to sort out its pitching picture, that kind of consistency is the sort of development that can quietly change the entire conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Jake McCarthy Is Making The Diamondbacks Trade Debate Even Louder
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Arizona sent McCarthy to the Rockies for pitching prospect Josh Grosz, and his strong start in Denver has only sharpened the conversation back home. With McCarthy posting career-best production for his new club, Diamondbacks fans are split on whether the front office made the right call or moved on from a player whose best baseball may still be ahead of him. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Were Closer To Clay Holmes Than Fans Realized
The Diamondbacks were closer to landing Clay Holmes than it initially seemed, with the Mets having explored a deal that would have sent the reliever to Arizona before medical concerns about a prospect in the package altered the direction of talks. For a team always looking for bullpen help, it was the kind of near miss that can linger, especially when the alternative path still leaves a prominent arm changing uniforms elsewhere.
Instead, Holmes wound up going to the Cubs with Tyrone Taylor in exchange for 21-year-old infield prospect Jefferson Rojas. Holmes, who had been recovering from a fibula fracture, has already reached the point of making his Cubs debut after a minor league rehab assignment, a reminder that the Domino effect of one medical red flag can reshape an entire trade market in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]