Diamondbacks get late surge in win over the Pirates

PHOENIX — It has been over a month since Arizona Diamondbacks’ starting pitcher Patrick Corbin registered a win at Chase Field, and he will have to wait until his next opportunity to break the current skid despite the team taking an exciting Game 1 against the Pittsburgh Pirates Monday night by a score of 9-5.

Corbin was tough early on, only allowing two hits through four innings and one unearned run in the first when Pirates’ center fielder Starling Marte doubled and scored on a Paul Goldschmidt error. He was effectively utilizing variations of his slider to keep batters guessing.

The fifth inning is when the wheels fell off for Corbin and the D-backs. Despite the offense being stuck in the mud, Corbin was able to keep the Pirates in check up to that point.

The inning started with a walk of Pittsburgh first baseman Josh Bell, and it subsequently led to a pair of doubles, a single, an intentional walk, and four RBI for the Pirates as Corbin feel behind in the count early and often.

Corbin lasted 5.1 innings and gave up six hits and four earned runs. He walked three and struck out five in a no decision.

On the other side of the mound, Pirates starting pitcher Joe Musgrove, who came into the game with a 2-1 record and a 1.89 ERA, was able to quickly cool off the D-backs’ red-hot bats and keep the offense quiet through six innings.

The D-backs were able to eventually chase Musgrove from the game after he hit Chris Owings with a pitch in the seventh inning, which gave the dugout new life, and gave up an RBI single to Nick Ahmed. The right-handed pitcher went 6.0 innings, only allowing five hits and two earned runs while racking up six strikeouts.

Arizona continued to attack in the seventh inning.

Daniel Descalso kept things going with a second RBI single in the inning, which led to Jake Lamb tying the game up with a three-run home run.

The D-backs kept their foot on the gas in the eighth inning.

Ketel Marte singled to start the inning and eventually scored on a wild pitch by Pirates reliever Kyle Crick, which put Arizona up for good. Descalso added a two-run triple in the eighth for good measure and later scored on another wild pitch by Crick.

THE GOOD

– “Rake” Lamb’s heroic three-run home run in the seventh inning to tie the game was the stuff legends are made of.

– Owings made an absolutely outstanding grab in center field in the sixth inning, robbing shortstop Jordy Mercer of an RBI double and making a perfect relay to Goldschmidt to double up Bell at first.

– The D-backs refused to quit, which led to a late offensive explosion of five runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth despite being held to only three hits through the first six innings.

– This is the D-backs fourth win in a row. They are now 8-2 in their last 10 games.

THE BAD

– Corbin’s fifth inning put the D-backs in a hole that was hard to dig out of. This was only the third time this season Corbin has walked 3-plus batters in a game.

– Archie Bradley, who is normally lights out in relief, loaded the bases in the top of the eighth and almost allowed momentum to swing back in Pittsburgh’s favor.

– Five batters were hit by pitches in this one, three D-backs and two Pirates. One could say some might have been intentional. No warnings were issued to either team.

STAT OF THE GAME

23-0: The Arizona Diamondbacks are now 23-0 this season when scoring five or more runs in a game.

HE SAID IT

“A pretty special night. You score eight, nine runs in your last two innings offensively and you come back after laying pretty flat against a pretty dominant pitcher, those guys have a lot to be proud of today,” D-backs skipper Torey Lovullo said after the game.

NOTED

– Center fielder A.J. Pollock is the only D-backs player on the 2018 All-Star Ballot.

– The D-backs have won six of their last seven home games.

– 20,907 were in attendance on Monday night at Chase Field.

– First pitch was at 6:39 p.m. with an outdoor temperature of 107 and an indoor temperature of 81 degrees.

UP NEXT

The D-backs will look keep momentum on their side in Game 2 of the series at Chase Field. Clay Buchholz will get the start for Arizona against Trevor Williams for the Pirates. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. with pregame coverage beginning 45 minutes earlier on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

Buchholz has been impressive since signing with the D-backs as a Minor League free agent on May 4. He is 1-1 this season with a 1.88 ERA and has allowed two runs or fewer in all four of his starts. He is the first pitcher in franchise history to allow one run or fewer in his first three starts.

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