Diamondbacks flub four-run lead, fall to Giants in U.S. opener: By The Numbers

On Monday, the Arizona Diamondbacks became the first team in baseball history to begin the regular season winless on two continents.

The team is now 0-3, collecting their third loss in a collapse to the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field, which saw a four-run lead blown and more of 2013’s bullpen woes.

Brandon McCarthy cruised through the first two innings, striking out the side in the first. And he took a four-run lead and low pitch count into the 7th inning.

But that quickly dissipated as the Giants scored six runs over the final three frames, besting the Diamondbacks 9-8.

Here’s a closer look at the disappointing loss, by the numbers:

1

The Diamondbacks’ struggles at the top of the order continued into 2014, as A.J. Pollock went 0-for-6 with four strikeouts on Monday, also recording the final out of the game with the tying run standing on second base. Pollock has struck out five times in 13 at-bats this so far this season. Last season, the Diamondbacks managed an on-base percentage of just .327 from the leadoff spot — worse than each of the five places in the batting order thereafter. Pollock has a career .319 OBP.

2

The San Francisco Giants at times looked as if they were in need of another week in Scottsdale at Spring Training, committing two errors on the night and several more misplays. Their defensive mishaps led to starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner’s surrendering of a career-high four unearned runs.

3

Yusmeiro Petit, who recorded 26 consecutive outs in a near no-hitter against the Diamondbacks last September, allowed three earned runs over 2.0 innings pitched Monday, needing 47 pitches to get through the 5th and 6th.

4

Gerardo Parra’s year at Chase Field is off to some kind of start. The outfielder recorded four RBI on Monday, all coming against left-handed pitching. In 2013, the left-handed Parra garnered a total of four RBI against left handers — something he accomplished in three at-bats Monday. Prior to his two-run single off of Bumgarner in the 4th inning, Parra was 1-for-14 against the Giants pitcher. Only once in 2013 did Parra finish a game with more than three RBI.

5

Miguel Montero’s ninth-inning home run was just the fifth run the Diamondbacks have ever scored against Giants closer Sergio Romo, who had managed a 0.93 ERA and 4-0 record against his NL West foe in 46 prior career appearances. The home run was also the first Romo had given up to Arizona since Aug. 28, 2010, which came off the bat of Adam LaRoche at AT&T Park.

7

Diamondbacks Closer Addison Reed had lost just six games in 137 appearances over the course of his career coming into Monday’s game. But in his 138th appearance, the 25-year-old suffered the seventh loss of his career.

9

The Diamondbacks’ bullpen was reinforced over the offseason by two main names: right-hander Addison Reed and left-hander Oliver Perez. In their home debut Monday, they each allowed a pair of runs and Perez failed to get an out. Reed, brought in to be the team’s savior at closer, took the loss after allowing a two-run home run to Buster Posey in the top of the 9th, which erased a 7-7 tie. In all, the Diamondbacks gave up nine runs and the pitching staff has now allowed an average of 6.3 runs per game so far.

16

The Diamondbacks managed 16 hits in Monday’s loss to the Giants. In 162 games in 2013, the team tallied 16 hits or more 13 times. They won on each of the occasions. Also, the team scored eight runs or more in 24 games last season. They won all but one of those occasions.

22

Paul Goldschmidt extended his hitting streak from last season and, then, the first two games of this season, in Sydney, Australia, to 22 games on Monday, going 2-for-5 with a strikeout, a stolen base and a run scored. Goldschmidt is off to a 6-for-14 start at the plate, though he hasn’t yet recorded an RBI in the first three games.