It might just be the sixth game of the season but Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo says he’s already “exhausted.”
Part of that could have been the four losses in the first six games. It could be his team’s failure to string together hits. And yes, there have been a couple of injuries that have likely given him flashbacks to last season when his team was decimated by those.
But the Diamondbacks have something to feel good about for the moment as they slipped past the visiting Houston Astros 3-2 in 10 innings in front of 12,660 in matinee play Wednesday at Chase Field. It was the second walk-off victory for Arizona with those book-ending the six-game home stand to open the season.
“I’ve probably had about 45 mood changes and I’m exhausted right now. High, low and everywhere in between. And I think everybody was in the same boat,” he said.
Some of what has troubled Arizona in the still-young season surfaced yet again. It managed just six hits, two more than it accounted for in Tuesday night’s 2-1 loss to the same foe. The Diamondbacks were the recipient of nine walks and three hit batters yet struggled to score, going just 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
Not long after the contest finished, the Diamondbacks were on a plane headed to New York for the first road set of the season, which opens on Friday against the Mets.
“That was a grinding game,” Lovullo said. “I hope these guys are all emotionally exhausted because I am and from what it looked like, they were invested, they were engaged and they were doing everything they possibly could to have the type of outcome we had. We had a lot of really good moments. I felt like we pitched the ball extremely well. We made plays at the right times. But we talk about winning a grinding baseball game. It feels good for these guys because of how bad they wanted it.”
The teams went into extra innings tied at 1-1 with Houston taking a 2-1 lead in its half of the 10th on a sacrifice fly by Alex Bregman that came with the bases loaded and one out.
Getting the equalizer and the go-ahead run in the same inning probably seemed like a tough ask given the state of the offense, but the Diamondbacks answered the challenge.
Sergio Alcantara served as the runner at second to start the frame and he moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Jake McCarthy. Seth Beer, whose walk-off homerun secured Arizona’s win in the season opener, then lined a single to knock home Alcantara and tie the game for a second time, now at 2-2.
“In a situation like that the biggest thing I need to do is try to hit a ball hard,” Beer said. “If it leaves the yard, that’s great obviously, but in that situation if you try to muscle up a guy like reliever (Ryan) Pressly that’s when you get in trouble. For me it was try to stick to the approach and find a barrel and put it somewhere
After Cooper Hummel walked, Ketel Marte lofted a fly ball to left that was misplayed by Astros outfielder Chas McCormick, allowing Beer to score the game-winner.
“We faced some really good pitching so far. The first three starters we faced this year were some of the best in the big leagues,” Hummel said of the offensive issues. “The Astros every year have good pitching so tip your cap to them. We’re missing a couple key pieces with injuries. And guys are just starting off a little slow. It’s no big deal We’re six games. It’s a long season If you look at the numbers over time, ‘t’s all going to get better.”
The Diamondbacks began the day hitting .132 as a team, not just the worst in all of major league baseball but the lowest by a margin of 67 points.
Lovullo finds his team walking the fine line of wanting to remain aggressive but be selective enough at the same time, particularly when opposing pitchers aren’t demonstrating pinpoint control.
Hummel was the player making the most of his at-bats, reaching base five times with four walks and a single. I have also stole a base. Lovullo said since his team isn’t able to put together a big inning it has to rely on those types of contributions and was ready with a boxing analogy — one of several he had in the short post-game press conference.
“There are about two or three punches we have to throw at one time and we have to land them all before we start putting up some crooked numbers but I think we’re delivering some body blows and we’re getting runners on base and eventually that’s going to come where somebody’s going to slug at the right time and we’re going to score some runs in bunches,” Lovullo said.
Lovullo pointed to the showing of Hummel, who led off and served as designated hitter, as just what his team needs.
“That’s exactly what we’re looking for,” he said. “We don’t need him to do any more or any less. That’s what he’s good at and he knows what he’s good at. We had a lot of those situations today. So many team at-bats led us to this win. The next part is to deliver the knockout blow. That’s coming. It’s going to happen at some point.”
The Diamondbacks (2-4) manufactured an early run in the second after Lovullo successfully challenged a call on the field that Marte was not hit by a pitch with bases loaded and two outs. The inning had started with a single by Pavin Smith with walks to Jake McCarthy and Hummel, the last was coming with two outs.
It stayed that way until Houston drew even in the seventh off reliever Sean Poppen, the third of seven pitchers on the day, when Martin Maldonado lofted a sacrifice fly, driving home McCormick who had singled with one out.
That run meant Merrill Kelly came up empty in the win column again despite his second stellar outing of the season. He went five and one-third scoreless innings, giving up just three hits, walking two and striking out six. He worked out of a jam in the first aided by a double play and struck out the side in the second.
He hurled four scoreless innings in his season debut against San Diego but did not factor in the decision in that game either.
“Merrill (Kelly) did as much as he possibly could and then handed it over to the bullpen. The bullpen was fantastic. One little hiccup where it was an earned run for Poppen but it could have been a totally different outcome had we done some things behind him. But it was a good win. We’re going to enjoy it. For a young team, it feels really nice.”
Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 602 444-4783. Follow her on Twitter @MGardnerSports.
Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
www.azcentral.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism