Game #124: Diamondbacks @ Marlins

Josh Collmenter RHP, 8-6, 4.09

Tom Koehler RHP, 8-9, 3.86

Ender Inciarte - CF	Christian Yelich - LF
Cliff Pennington - 2B	Jeff Baker - 2B
David Peralta - RF	Giancarlo Stanton - RF
Mark Trumbo - 1B	Casey McGehee - 3B
Miguel Montero - C	Garrett Jones - 1B
Jake Lamb - 3B	Marcell Ozuna - CF
Alfredo Marte - LF	Jarrod Saltalamacchia - C
Didi Gregorius - SS	Adeiny Hechavarria - SS
Josh Collmenter - RHP	Tom Koehler - RHP

Despite my pleas to the contrary, it was another one-run game for the Diamondbacks yesterday, their fifth such in a row. That's the most since playing six straight one-run contests in May 2011, and there have been three such longer streaks in team history - curiously, all three involve games against the Dodgers and Giants. The record is seven consecutive one-run games, between May 30 and June 6, 2010. You might remember that streak, since it included back-to-back 1-0 defeats over extra innings against Los Angeles, in 10 and 14 frames respectively. Still some way for the major-league record of 11 one-run games in a row, most recently by the Dodgers in 1985-1986.

While the results of one-run games are heavily influenced by luck - when the score is so close, a bounce here or an umpiring call there will have a more significant effect - the number of one-run games played could be seen as an indication we are closer to .500, like our opponents. It is perhaps significant that we've already seen more one-run battles this week, than we did in our first 25 games of the season, as we struggled to a 7-18 record, with only three games decided by one-run. That run may continue today against the Marlins - but if does, things will then get decidedly tougher against the division-leading Nationals in Washington.