Grit Index: Cahill, D-backs struggle in loss to Giants
Jun 9, 2013, 5:54 AM | Updated: 4:52 pm
Saturday night was not one of Trevor Cahill’s best outing. In fact, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 10-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants was one that the Diamondbacks’ right-hander would probably like to forget.
Cahill gave up eight runs over the course of 3.2 innings in his worst start of the 2013 season, thus far. The effort was also his worst start as a Diamondback; his six earned runs against the Mariners on June 20, 2012, was his previous high with the team.
In the top of the second, Giants right fielder Hunter Pence opened up the scoring when he stole two bases in the same at-bat, scoring on Miguel Montero’s errant throw to third.
Later in the inning, on a play that epitomized the debate over instant replay in baseball, Andres Torres was called safe on a close play at home in which Montero had tried to reach and tag him. After seeing the replay it appeared as though Montero made the tag, but the home plate umpire Greg Gibson called Torres safe, putting the Giants up 2-0.
The fourth inning was when things really fell apart for Cahill. The Giants scored six runs off of six hits in a frame that was capped by a Buster Posey two-run home run. The home run would be Cahill’s last pitch of the night.
The Giants would tack on one more run in the top of the sixth to give them a nine-run lead.
Arizona would fight back, scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, but the team’s comeback effort would fall well short.
The Good
Through 62 games, the Diamondbacks are the only major league team not to be shut out in 2013.
The Bad
The Diamondbacks are now just 2-8 in their last 10 games against the Giants at Chase Field.
The Giants’ six-run fourth inning happened in just 24 pitches.
Noted
• Paul Goldschmidt tied Luis Gonzalez’s club record with an RBI in eight straight games after his RBI groundout in the bottom of the sixth
• The game’s announced attendance was 44,574, making the crowd the second largest of the 2013 season, trailing only Opening Day.
He Said It
“We’d like to have better performances,” said D-backs manager Kirk Gibson when asked of his starting rotation’s recent struggles. “But it wasn’t long ago they were dominating. It’s the ups and downs of the season.”
What’s Next
The Diamondbacks will look to take the series from the Giants on Bark in the Park Day at Chase Field on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 and will put D-backs left-hander Tyler Skaggs (1-0, 3.86 ERA) against right-hander Chad Gaudin (1-1, 2.21 ERA) for the Giants.
