Diamondbacks 4, Giants 3

Record: 39-48, Pace 73-89

The Diamondbacks hung on by the skin of their teeth to take a 4-3 victory from the San Francisco Giants. Merrill Kelly went 7+ innings giving up 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks and 4 K’s. for the win. He improved to 8-5. Mark Melancon earned his 12th save. Daulton Varsho drove in two runs and Alek Thomas had three hits.

The game was marked by a lot of good long at bats by the young hitters. They drew 7 walks and had 10 hits but were only 3 for 14 with RISP. So while they only scored four runs, there was still a lot to be encouraged about.

RECAP

T-1: Rojas turned an 0-2 count into a walk and Alek Thomas singled to opposite field. But Ketel rolled over into a 3-6-1 double play and Walker grounded out to short, ending the promising inning with a zero.

B-1: The heart fluttered a bit due to two warning track fly outs, but Merrill Kelly navigated a 12 pitch, 1-2-3 inning.

T-2: A two out walk by Varsho and a single by Carson Kelly went for naught, as Perdomo grounded into a 6-4 force. All 6 outs recorded by Alex Cobb have been groundouts.

B-2: Another 12 pitch inning, just a bloop single allowed.

T-3: Alek Thomas lined a one out base hit to right, his second hit of the game. Marte narrowly missed hitting into his second DP of the game, legging it out on his balky hammy for the 4-6 force and giving Walker a chance with two outs. C-Walk punched a single to right, moving Ketel to third. David Peralta took his turn and singled into right on a 3-1 count to score Marte. Right fielder Gonzalez bobbled the ball, allowing Walker to move up to 3^rd and Peralta to 2^nd. Kennedy then walked to load them up for Varsho, who did the deed, singling to right, scoring two more runs and giving the D-backs 3-0 lead.

B-3: Merrill responded with a 9-pitch shutdown inning. Just 33 pitches for the Mainstay so far.

T-4: First 1-2-3 inning for the D-backs bats

B-4: Wilmer Flores ripped a one out double past Rojas into left. Belt hit another rope into right for a base hit, but Varsho blocked it like a catcher to hold Flores as 3^rd. Merrill almost got out of it when Gonzalez grounded to short, but Kennedy couldn’t get a handle the ball on transfer and instead of a 6-4-3 it was a 6-4 RBI force. That was followed by a walk from Merrill and a Brent Strom mound visit. Kelly fell behind a lot of hitters this inning but finally got Crawford to groundout 4-3. 24 pitch inning, 3-1 D-backs

T-5: Ketel drew a leadoff walk, but nothing doing after that. Cobb at 84 pitches.

B-5: Merrill gave up a single this inning but nothing else.

T-6: Another 1-2-3 inning, as Cobb gets through 6 innings despite giving up 6 hits and 4 walks. He retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced as the D-backs mid inning malaise continued.

B-6: Merrill stranded a one out double , to get out of mini trouble in the 6th.

T-7: Rojas singled to lead off. Thomas, instead of sac bunting like I suggested, hit a sharp groundball to short that looked like a 6-4-3. The throw sailed over the first basemen’s head but bounced back to him. Thomas made a subtle move towards second and was tagged out and called out for the double play. It really cost them. Ketel hit a ground rule double after that and Walker walked. But Peralta struck out, and it was another scoreless inning. Still 3-1 Dbacks

B-7: Kelly struck out Crawford and Yastrzemski and Bart lined out to left. Should have been his last batter.

T-8: Jake McCarthy , just up from Reno fell behind 0-2 and ended up working a 10 pitch walk. Big league at bat ! After an 8 pitch at bat from Varsho resulted in a pop out, Sergio Alcantara put up a 9 pitch at bat before singling to left to drive in McCarthy for a critical insurance run. 4-1 D-backs

B-8: INEXPLICABLY, Torey sent Merrill back out for the 8th after the LONG inning. So of course he walked the leadoff batter. Torey brought in the rapidly regressing Mantiply to face a parade of right hand batters, and things predictably went south. He gave up a single, an RBI double, an RBI groundout, plus his first walk in 34 games. Some bad luck to be sure, a swinging bunt, a ball off the third base bag.....but still. His streak of 34 games without a walk is over. Noe Ramirez came in and walked HIS first batter faced to load the bases. But a 3-6-1 double, Walker to Perdomo to an exultant Ramirez stood up on replay review and the D-backs escaped the inning with a 4-3 lead

T-9: Thomas lead off with a double to right but was stranded at third.

B-9: Mark Melancon gave up a leadoff single but locked down the rest of the inning and the save with a fielders choice groundout, a popout and strikeout to end it.

Fangraphs Box

WPA

Team Bobby Fischer: Merrill Kelly +.270, Noe Ramirez +.238, Mark Melancon +.189, Daulton Varsho +.142

Team Boris Spassky : Joe Mantiply -.269, Ketel Marte -.122

COTD: EDIT: There are actually two Sedona Red Comments

Kilnborn for his ever consistent humor:

And Snake_Bitten with a bit of sarcasm that fortunately not warranted tonight