Sedona Red Recap: Bats fall silent as Diamondbacks retire Randy Johnson’s number
Aug 8, 2015, 9:39 PM
By Luke Lapinski, Arizona Sports
The Arizona Diamondbacks entered Saturday with an opportunity to string together back-to-back wins for the first time this month. And they got another decent pitching performance from starter Robbie Ray.
Problem is, the offense ran dry.
Three different Cincinnati players homered — two with two outs — as Arizona fell to the visiting Reds 4-1.
A.J. Pollock got the scoring started in the first, when he doubled and crossed home on a single to right by David Peralta. Unfortunately for the D-backs, that was all the scoring they could muster.
The night belonged to Randy Johnson. Two weeks after being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, The Big Unit had his number retired in the “office” where he won a World Series and four of his five Cy Young Awards.
Standing beside former teammate Luis Gonzalez, Johnson and 40,512 fans looked on as a highlight reel of his storied career played and the No. 51 was unveiled in right field.
Johnson also received a gift from the team – an exact replica of the drum set used by the band Rush – and spoke at length about the humbling experience. He addressed the fans, thanking the many people who had helped him along the become one of the most dominant left-handed pitchers in baseball history.
THE GOOD
-With no outs and Cincinnati runners at first and third in the seventh — and with the top of the order coming up — Arizona trailed 3-1 but caught Eugenio Suarez in a rundown between third and home. Addison Reed then retired the next two batters to get out of the inning unscathed and keep the D-backs within striking distance.
-With his first inning double (and two walks), Pollock has now reached base in 29 of his last 31 games.
-Seven of Pollock’s last eight hits against the Reds have been of the extra base variety (six doubles and a triple).
THE BAD
-Ray didn’t pitch poorly. In fact, only two pitches hurt him. Those landed in the seats though, marking the first time all season that he’s allowed multiple home runs. The D-backs allowed three homers on the evening, the final blast produced by Marlon Byrd off David Hernandez in the top of the ninth.
-Paul Goldschmidt went 0-for-4 on Saturday and is 3-for-27 in the month of August.
-Despite being one of the higher scoring teams in baseball, the D-backs have plated just nine total runs over their last five home games.
STAT OF THE GAME
3: The amount of players that have had their numbers retired by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Johnson’s No. 51 is now displayed alongside the No. 20 of Luis Gonzalez and the No. 42 of Jackie Robinson (retired by every Major League team in 1997).
HE SAID IT
“I’m so thankful that I met Jerry Colangelo. He had a vision for this franchise. He brought successful baseball to Arizona, something that all of you can be proud of. We won a World Series faster than any other franchise in history, and I thank you Jerry.” – Randy Johnson on the former D-backs owner
NOTED
-D-backs pitcher Keith Hessler made his major league debut in the eighth inning, and promptly retired all three batters he faced.
-Mark Grace’s character finally won the Legends Race that follows the fifth inning of every D-backs home game (Randy Johnson jumped out to a huge lead and let him win, but still). Why is this a big deal? Because the race has been run 427 times to this point.
-The Diamondbacks’ fourth annual alumni game will take place 30 minutes after the final out of the series finale on Sunday.
UP NEXT
The two clubs wrap up this three-game set at Chase Field on Sunday afternoon. Patrick Corbin will take the mound for Arizona, while Anthony DeSclafani gets the nod for Cincinnati. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10, with pregame coverage beginning at 12:30 on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.
Corbin (2-3) lasted 1.1 innings in his previous outing, allowing three runs in a no-decision against Washington. For the year, he owns a 3.99 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP over six starts as he works his way back after a lengthy absence due to Tommy John surgery. His first start this year came on July 4. Prior to that, he hadn’t been on the mound in a Major League game since Sept. 27, 2013.
DeSclafini (7-7) has picked up wins in each of his last two starts, shutting out the Cardinals for seven innings in St. Louis on July 29, then scattering two earned runs over six innings against the Cardinals at home on Aug. 4. This will be the first time he has ever faced the Diamondbacks.
