Diamondbacks 2, Giants 1, "Pitching, pitching, pitching"

This recap will be done in the form of a series of letters that were quickly procured throughout the course of the game:

Dear Diamondbacks,

Last night was extremely brutal to watch. I can't even comprehend how this happened. Yusmeiro Petit must be an alien or something. Did any of you notice any weird particle effects coming off of him when he was pitching? Did he smell radioactive? There isn't really any other explanation. Anyway... looks like Matt Cain is pitching today. That dude was just injured and he's had a rough season so far. Do me a favor and take care of it. *wink*

Yours truly,

MF

No immediate response. Game starts and Paul Goldschmidt promptly hits a single. Then he gets caught stealing.

Dear MF,

Don't be mad at me. I figured that may have been our only hit of the game. I'll do better next time, I promise.

The chosen one,

- Goldy

Score is still 0-0 heading into the 3rd inning as Adam Eaton hits a flyball to centerfield. AJ Pollock saw it as the perfect opportunity for the season's 682nd TOOTBLAN. Sure enough, Angel Pagan caught the can of corn and threw a bullet to first base for the first double play of the game.

Dear Marc,

The San Francisco Giants organization would like to cordially invite you to... HAHA sorry. I can't write this with a straight face. Suck it, AZ. That was hilarious to watch. Yusmerio Petit eats your dreams for breakfast, btw.

lol,

SFG

Things didn't get any better in the bottom of the inning. Marco Scutaro hit an RBI single to score Brandon Crawford.

Dear Marc,

I just want someone to talk to. I have played for six different teams in a decade. I just hit an RBI. Why does nobody see the fruits of my talent? Will you be my friend now? Gotta go, looks like I might get traded again.

- The Scoots

But then something magical happened. Gerardo Parra quickly answered with an RBI single of his own and then Goldschmidt added another run in the 5th inning with his second triple of the year.

Dear Marc,

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!?

- Parra and Goldy

Both teams chugged along as there was apparently some mutual agreement at the beginning of the series that every game would be a pitcher's duel. Ultimately, McCarthy would pitch eight innings allowing just one run and Cain lasted 6.1 and managed to get the necessary double plays when he needed them.

In the 9th inning, Adam Eaton tried to bunt with a runner at third with 2 outs and a 2 strike count. He bunted it foul.

Dear Spanky,

ಠ_ಠ

- Everyone

Brad Ziegler came in for the save in the quickly retired all three batters for his 8th save of the season (four shy away from a career high).

[Click to enlarge, at fangraphs.com]
Love letters: Brandon McCarthy, +42.2% (pitching), Paul Goldschmidt, 21.2%
Hate mail: Wil Nieves, -12.8%

The GDT was fairly light for a Saturday evening with only 304 comments among 24 people. soco lead the way with 52 posts, none with eels in them, and hotclaws and Tolkienbird took the other spots for the podium. The entire cast: 4 Corners Fan, Dbacks4eva10101, Diamondhacks, FatBoysEatMeat, GuruB, Husk, Jim McLennan, LouDub, Marc Fournier, MyGirlsDad, RobbieFVK, Rockkstarr12, TolkienBard, cheese1213, cole8865, hotclaws, kishi, porty99, rd33, romangod, shoewizard, and soco.

COTD goes to soco for his 2014 lineup prediction:

The D-backs look to take the series win tomorrow when Randall Delgado (4-5, 3.69 ERA) faces off against Ricky Nolasco (12-9, 3.28 ERA). The game starts at 10:10 so set your morning alarm clock for 10:05.