Grit Index: D-backs’ bats fall silent in loss to Cardinals
Apr 3, 2013, 6:01 AM
The Arizona Diamondbacks were unable to put together back-to-back wins to start the 2013 season. They suffered a 6-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Chase Field on Tuesday night with Trevor Cahill on the mound.
With the loss, Cahill’s three-game win streak at home ended. He also allowed just his second home run in his last 10 starts. With the loss the D-backs also start the season 1-1 for the 10th time in the past 11 seasons.
The Good:
Despite the loss, Cahill looked solid in his first regular season start. He lasted 5.2 innings, gave up five hits and three runs while striking out seven and allowing two walks. Two of his three earned runs came off a two-run bomb by Matt Holliday in the top of the sixth inning.
Cahill said after the game that it wasn’t even a strike, and Holliday is one of the strongest players he’s ever seen.
The Bad:
Newcomer Heath Bell got torched in relief for Arizona. He relieved Tony Sipp in the 7th inning and allowed three runs on four hits in 0.1 IP. He recorded one strikeout and a walk along with two home runs. Bell’s ERA is 81.00 after Tuesday night’s game.
Stat of the Night:
The D-backs recorded only three hits on Tuesday. That’s the fewest at Chase Field since they recorded three against the Nationals on August 10th, 2012.
Noted:
• One of the three hits came from catcher Miguel Montero in the bottom of the second inning. The long ball came off Cardinals’ left handed starter Jaime Garcia.
Montero didn’t homer off a lefty last season until June 3rd against the Padres.
• The only other player aside from Montero to record a hit Tuesday was Gerardo Parra. He singled in the bottom of the seventh inning to extend his hit streak, which now stands at five games dating back to 2012. During that time he’s hitting .364, going 8-for-22.
He Said It:
“Not really, I mean, it was a change-up that I tried to throw low and it was low,” Cahill said. “He’s (Matt Holliday) just a really, really, really strong person. I don’t even know where it was. I didn’t want to look at it, but some of the guys said that it was pretty impressive he was able to get it out.
“I’ve played with him, he’s probably the strongest guy I’ve seen. If he gets the barrel on it, it’s going to go out, no matter if he’s on one foot or a toe.”
Holliday’s home run in the sixth inning snapped a 64 at-bat homerless streak for the outfielder.
Up Next:
The Diamondbacks wrap up this three-game series against the Cardinals on Wednesday. Right-hander Brandon McCarthy is scheduled to make his first regular season start in a D-backs’ uniform and Lance Lynn will go for St. Louis. McCarthy went 8-6 with a 3.24 ERA in 18 starts for the Oakland A’s last season. First pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. and you can catch the action on Arizona Sports 620.
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