Grit Index: Prado, D-backs rally to sweep Rays

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Martin Prado was “the man of the match” in the D-backs’ 9-8 win over the Rays on Wednesday night at Chase Field.

Prado’s two-run single in the eighth inning sealed the deal for Arizona, but he also had a two-run homer in the third that contributed to the club’s second straight win and a two-game sweep of Tampa Bay.

Arizona starter Randall Delgado got off to a shaky start. The D-backs were down 3-0 after the first inning when Delgado gave up two straight doubles, a fielder’s choice and a single.

But, the offense kept fighting. The D-backs scored one run back in the bottom of the first inning, tacking three more on in the third, another three in the fifth and the game-winning runs in the eighth.

Prado finished the night 4-for-4 with a walk and four RBIs. The rest of the D-backs’ offense came from Aaron Hill, Paul Goldschmidt, Eric Chavez and Wil Nieves.

After the sixth, Arizona led 7-4 and it looked like they were in the clear for a win, but the bullpen didn’t hold up. Manager Kirk Gibson was forced to use relievers Josh Collmenter, Will Harris and Joe Thatcher all in the seventh. The Rays scored four runs that inning and took the lead 8-7.

J.J. Putz pitched a solid, scoreless eighth and Brad Ziegler came in for the ninth to earn his seventh save of the season for the Snakes.

Arizona recorded its first back-to-back wins since July 25 and 26 against the Cubs and the Padres.

With a D-backs win and a Dodgers win, Arizona remains five games behind L.A. in the National League West race.

The Good:

The D-backs offense might be starting to click. They recorded 12 hits and were 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position. They scored at least six runs in back-to-back games only seven times before Wednesday’s victory.

Prado’s four hits tied a career-high and his four RBIs are also the most since May 12, 2011.

The Bad:

Despite the come-from-behind win, the D-backs did suffer their 20th blown save of the season. It’s their first blown save since July 1 against the Mets.

Noted:

– The D-backs recorded their 31st comeback win of the season.

– Arizona turned six double plays to notch a new club record.

– Putz now has 11 straight scoreless appearances.

– Prado is 13-for-28 (.464) with five doubles, a homer and seven RBIs in his last seven games. He is also 26-for-63 (.413) with eight doubles, two homers and 14 RBI in his last 17 games.

– Rays starter Chris Archer left the game in the second inning with tightness in his right forearm.

He Said It:

“Well it’s been awhile since we’ve really played like this. We’ve struggled, we been on the road a lot, had tough travel, played tough teams,” Gibson said. “It’s just a good feeling. We’ve been telling the guys to hang in there.

“We’ve talked a little bit as a team, one time fairly sternly, the other time we had some fun [Tuesday] and the guys are very relaxed. We played well. We played well in this series.”

Up Next:

The D-backs enjoy an off day on Thursday before returning to action at Chase Field on Friday against the New York Mets. Left-hander Patrick Corbin will go for Arizona and he’ll face right-hander Jeremy Hefner for New York.

Corbin is 12-3 on the season with a 2.33 ERA. In his last outing, he suffered a 5-2 loss in Boston, working six inning and allowing three earned runs. Hefner is 4-8 on the season with a 4.23 ERA. He also lost his last outing on August 3rd against Kansas City, allowing three earned runs in six innings.

First pitch is scheduled for Friday at 6:40 p.m. MST and can be heard on News/Talk 92.3 KTAR FM.

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