The Diamondbacks never had a chance to settle in before this one got away from them. By the time the first inning ended, the Yankees had already turned Chase Field into a mess, stacking walks, a passed ball, a bloop single, and then George Lombard Jr.’s two-run single into a 5-0 lead. It was the kind of opening stretch that leaves everybody in the park staring at the scoreboard and wondering how it got that bad so fast.
Eduardo Rodriguez was the one left to absorb most of the damage. His first inning was a 45-pitch slog, and even though he kept getting ahead of hitters, he couldn’t finish them off.
New York kept finding ways on base - walks, singles, more walks - and Rodriguez didn’t get his first out until his 32nd pitch of the inning. Before it was over, there had been a wild pitch and a two-RBI single, with the left-hander finally escaping by striking out the side.
It was one of those rare innings that somehow manages to include five runs and three strikeouts.
Rodriguez hung around after that, but the Yankees still kept cashing in. He gave up solo homers in the third and sixth before his night was done.
The final line was rough: seven earned runs in 5.1 innings, with five hits, four walks and five strikeouts. It was the ninth time a Diamondbacks pitcher has been charged with seven or more earned runs this season, which is the most the club has had since 2016.
It was also the first time since June 20 that Arizona had two pitchers do it in the same game, after Zac Gallen and Yilber Diaz both got hit hard that night. The rotation has been in a bad way this month, too, now sitting at 1-6 in fifteen starts with a 4.80 ERA.
Gallen eventually got involved himself, and not in the way anyone expected. After a short appearance from Taylor Clarke in the sixth, Gallen made his first bullpen outing since the opening three appearances of his professional career back in 2016 for the rookie league Cardinals.
The defense didn’t exactly help him, with errors charged to Nolan Arenado and Pavin Smith, though the latter play could probably have been on Gallen too. He finished with two runs allowed, one unearned, over three innings on two hits and two walks, striking out two.
At least he gave the bullpen a breather.
Arizona did show a little life in the second when Corbin Carroll launched his 22nd homer of the year, cutting the deficit to 5-2 with Geraldo Perdomo aboard after a single. That was about as good as it got offensively until much later.
The Diamondbacks didn’t get another at-bat with a runner in scoring position until the seventh, when Arenado singled and Carroll followed with a hustle double. But Jose Fernandez struck out after a pinch-hit appearance, and Tim Tawa went down too.
Two more RISP chances in the ninth also came up empty, though the offense wasn’t really the main reason this game was lost.
The bigger issue was the imbalance everywhere else. Arizona pitchers handed out six walks, and four of those runners scored for New York.
The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, drew only one walk and struck out 11 times. Perdomo, Arenado and Carroll each finished with two hits, and Perdomo drew the only walk.
Carroll was batting seventh for the first time in a start in over two years, dating back to August 29, 2024. He’s also now hitting .256 over his last ten games, a much better stretch than the .081 mark over the ten before that.
The Padres won again, which leaves San Diego in a three-way tie with the Cubs and Phillies. That’s only about seeding for the wild-card spots, though, because Arizona is now five games back with eight to play.
The Cubs and Phillies have both gone 7-9 in September, while the Diamondbacks are 7-8, so the month hasn’t exactly been clean for anyone involved. San Diego, meanwhile, is 12-4 and rolling along in its own version of 2007’s Rocktober.
It wasn’t the sort of game anybody wanted to close out a recap with, especially with Arizona’s win probability already down to 12% before the second out was recorded. But there was at least one bright spot in the crowd, with Justin27’s comment of the night going to the fan who came up from Tucson with his best friend and her two kids, who got to see their first game at Chase. Even on a night like this, that matters.
The same two teams are back at it tomorrow, with a special celebration planned for the 2001 World Series team. Brandon Pfaadt starts for the Diamondbacks, and first pitch is set for 5:10 pm Arizona time.
In Other News...
Diamondbacks Playoff Reality Is Getting Harder To Ignore
Eduardo Rodriguez ran into immediate trouble against the Yankees, and the Diamondbacks never really found their footing in a 9-2 loss that left the club staring at a tougher postseason path. Rodriguez was tagged for five runs in the first inning, and in a notable twist, Zac Gallen came out of the bullpen for the first time as Arizona tried to piece together the game from there.
The bigger issue is the math that keeps tightening around the seasons final stretch. Arizona now sits five games behind the Padres for the last National League wild-card spot with eight games left, a gap that leaves little room for error even if the clubhouse still believes there is a way back into the race. Torey Lovullo said he remains optimistic, but the standings are starting to make the reality harder to dismiss. [Read more 🡒]
D-Backs Tribute Put One Current Young Arm Right In The Moment
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For the current clubhouse, the moment was more than ceremonial. Young reliever Justin Martinez was among the players who spent time around the former champions, and he made it clear how much it meant to be in that setting, especially with a chance to hear from and learn alongside players whose names are woven into team history. For a roster trying to build its own identity, those kinds of weekends can leave a mark well beyond the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]