The Diamondbacks’ chance to finish off a sweep in Atlanta slipped away in the seventh, when Matt Olson turned a tight game into a 5-3 Braves win with one swing.
Arizona had answered every early punch from the National League East leaders. Gabriel Moreno opened the scoring with a solo homer, and Ildemaro Vargas matched that with a solo shot of his own in the seventh.
Vargas, who had entered at third base after Nolan Arenado exited with what the team called left trunk discomfort, made his presence felt immediately. His homer was his second in as many days, and he has now homered in back-to-back games twice this season.
But the decisive moment came with two outs and a 3-0 count in the bottom of the seventh. Olson blasted a tie-breaking three-run homer off Diamondbacks reliever Brandyn Garcia, and that was the difference.
The loss came with a concern that may matter more than the final score. Arenado left in the top of the fourth after feeling pain while bending over in the batter’s box, then said it got worse after he swung.
He slowed noticeably on his way to first before leaving the game. “I am worried,” Arenado said.
“I’ve never had that before, so I don’t know what it is.”
He added, “I felt a little bit of pain in my intercostal area,” and later said, “I don’t know. It just didn’t feel right. I haven’t really felt that before, so I had to get get taken out of the game.”
Arizona did keep itself in the game into the ninth. Ketel Marte and Max Kepler reached to start the inning, giving the Diamondbacks a chance to rally, but they could only scratch out one run after that as the next three hitters made outs.
Michael Soroka gave Arizona a solid start on the mound, working 5.2 innings and allowing two runs in his second outing back from injury. The Braves, meanwhile, managed to grab two separate one-run leads before Moreno and Vargas answered.
The Diamondbacks still took the series from the Braves, but the standings around them remain tight. San Diego did not lose, which means Arizona will be outside the playoff picture, while a Padres loss would have put the D-backs back into the third and final Wild Card spot.
The Phillies are also in position to keep moving up, and Arizona’s cushion over the Miami Marlins is only modest at 66-59, with the Marlins sitting at 63-61. The D-backs have already dropped three of their six games against Miami.
Arizona’s roster moves also continued elsewhere, with the club selecting Dennis Santana and designating Philip Abner for assignment. Santana’s expected numbers suggested some regression, and the team is not counting on him to play a major role in the middle of a postseason chase. The Diamondbacks have other right-handers trending well, with Gerardo Carrillo, Taylor Clarke and Juan Morillo all carrying ERAs under 1.00 since the All-Star break.
And beyond the current race, there’s more uncertainty hanging over the organization. According to Bob Nightengale, Torey Lovullo likely needs a playoff berth to keep his job.
He is in the final year of his contract, and there have been no extension talks. As Nightengale put it, “Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, barring a dramatic change, likely must make the playoffs to keep his job,” and “He’s in the final year of his contract, and there have been no talks about an extension.
He was saved once before by GM Mike Hazen, who is close friends with Lovullo, but Hazen may be unable to stop a firing this time if the D-backs miss the playoffs for the eighth time in the past nine years with a franchise-high payroll.”
In Other News...
Diamondbacks Suddenly Lose Ketel Marte In A Situation Fans Didn't Expect
A sudden roster shakeup left the Diamondbacks scrambling around second base after Ketel Marte was placed on the restricted list and Jose Fernandez was recalled from Triple-A to take his spot. The move came in the middle of a series against the Red Sox, turning what should have been a routine lineup decision into something much more complicated for Arizona, since a player on the restricted list is not paid and does not accumulate MLB service time until he returns.
The timing made the situation especially jarring for a club trying to keep its focus on the field. Marte had been expected to be available against Boston, and Arizona had to pivot quickly to cover the infield without him. For now, the Diamondbacks are left managing the baseball side of the issue while the bigger question around Marte hangs over the team. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Clear Space As Recent Pitching Addition Nears Abrupt Exit
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Hoffmann, who came over from the Royals more than a year ago, had already been on the minor league injured list when Arizona made the move, and his major league stint never really got off the ground. Because he is still injured and the trade deadline has already passed, the next step is more complicated than a normal outright assignment, leaving his status in a different kind of limbo as the Diamondbacks clear space and sort out the back end of the roster. [Read more 🡒]