Arizona Diamondbacks 13, Oakland Athletics 21: ALL the runs...

Spring record: 6-6. Change on 2016: -2.5.

The Diamondbacks were literally given a five-run start by the Athletics this afternoon, as Arizona scored five times before making their first out. But the projected 40-0 win at the end of the opening frame did not quite materialize... For the home pitching staff imploded in spectacular fashion, not least during an 11-run sixth inning. It was the most savage spring beatdown suffered by the D-backs in almost seven years, since the 24-9 mauling at the hands of the Kansas City Royals on May 19, 2010.

Miller seemed in trouble almost from the start. He did post a 1-2-3 first, but the second and third outs were hard-hit fly balls, down the line to left and deep to center, which required plus defensive plays by Jeremy Hazelbaker and Gregor Blanco to convert them. There was no escape thereafter. While Shelby seemed to have a decent fastball (the velo was there or thereabout the 96 mph mark, according to Gameday, if not the FSAZ broadcast, and it had some life), his off-speed stuff was being hit, and hit hard. He ended up being lifted before the end of the third, having thrown 57 pitches, and was charged with six runs on five hits and two walks, with one strikeout.

And this wasn’t even the worst performance of the day by a starting candidate. That belongs to Archie Bradley, who came in after Tyler Jones and Brian Matusz had finished Miller’s expected four innings. Bradley faced 12 batters, and recorded only four outs, allowing six hits and two walks. He gave up two runs in the fifth, and was charged with four more during the endless hell which was the sixth inning, as Oakland sent 15 men to the plate. Archie threw 22 pitches to retire one batter of five; then Jared Miller walked four of the seven batters he faced, needing 30 pitches for his out; Daniel Gibson then faced three more to record the final out in 8 pitches.

Keyvius Sampson tossed two scoreless, not than anyone noticed, and something called an Ivan Pineyro pitched the ninth. Nor will we remember this for our offense reaching double-digit runs for the second time in spring. It had started off so well: a triple to Blanco, David Peralta reached on an run-scoring wild pitch/K, Brandon Drury walked, Jake Lamb got an RBI single, then Ketel Marte emptied the bases with a three-run homer, his first of spring (below, via @FoxSportsAZ). It was pretty much all downhill thereafter, though Arizona added a pair in the second, two more in the fourth, and a tenth run in the fifth, holding a 10-8 lead to that point. How long ago that seems...

Lamb had two hits and a walk, as did Chris Iannetta, and Drury a hit and a walk, while Marte had two hits and four RBI, though TOOTBLAN’d his way out of the second inning. There were errors by Iannetta, who seemed to have trouble throwing down as the A’s stole two bases off him, and Domingo Leyba. The final tallies in this one across the two sides? 34 runs on 31 hits, 14 walks, 2 errors and 4 wild pitches. 52 players used (14 pitchers and 38 position players). Thanks to those who took part in the GDT: Arizona CardinalBacks, AzDbackfanInDc, BenSharp, Jim McLennan, JoeCB1991, Makakilo, MichaelMcD831993, Moranall, Oldenschoole, Ryancohn, Smurf1000, asteroid, noblevillain, onedotfive, overkill94DT, ryeandi and shoewizard

Tomorrow sees Zack Greinke take the mound, in a non-Cactus League game against Team Mexico, as they warm up for the WBC. Hopefully, our pitching will be a little more crisp, to put it mildly.