D-backs collapse again in 9th, fall to Nationals at home: By The Numbers

After a win Tuesday and a ninth-inning collapse the day before, the Arizona Diamondbacks will look back on their series with the Washington Nationals and remember that they were very close to sweeping their opponent.

Instead, their first home series win of the season again eluded them as they dropped their seventh home series this year.

And it’s too bad, because starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy was as good as he’s been all season — and, by one mark, in his career — allowing just two hits over 8.0 innings pitched.

His offense gave him just one run of support, coming on an Aaron Hill solo shot, and his bullpen let him down.

Brad Ziegler, who took baseball’s longest scoreless innings streak into the game, fell apart in the ninth inning. After issuing a leadoff walk, the Nationals tagged him for four runs on three hits and another walk over just one-third of an inning.

And the deficit was too much to overcome for the scuffling Diamondbacks offense, which rallied for just a hit against Washington closer Rafael Soriano in the bottom half of the ninth.

Here’s a look back at the loss by the numbers:

0

The Diamondbacks have failed to capture a home series win in 2014, losing all seven of them, though winning or splitting each of their four previous road series and winning five of seven total.

2

By one measure, McCarthy enjoyed the best start of his career Wednesday, but to no adieu. For the first time in his nine-year career, the Diamondbacks starter made it eight inning with only allowing two hits to the opposition. It was only the third time in his career that he had allowed only two hits for 6.0 innings pitched or more.

3

The Diamondbacks failed to capitalize on any of the leadoff hits they mustered in the game’s first three innings. They didn’t have a leadoff hit in any inning thereafter, getting just three hits — including one from the pitcher and a solo home run from Hill.

4

When Diamondbacks right fielder Gerardo Parra was caught stealing in the third inning, it marked the fourth such occasion he has made a costly mistake while trying to steal a base this season. Only two players in baseball have been caught stealing more this season.

6

The Nationals’ six baserunners in the ninth inning were three times as many as McCarthy had allowed in the game’s previous eight innings.

9

The amount of batters the Nationals sent to the plate in the ninth inning. Only three Washington hitters had reached base safely prior to the final frame. Only 27 Nationals batters came to the plate in the game’s first eight innings.

11

Parra has reached base safely in 11 of his last 12 games, putting together an eight-game hitting streak during that span.

13

Diamondbacks pitchers’ 13-inning scoreless streak was ended in the seventh inning with Jayson Werth’s solo home run.

17

Five players in the Diamondbacks’ starting lineup — Martin Prado, Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Ross, A.J. Pollock and Chris Owings — combined to go 0-for-17 Wednesday.

19

Ziegler’s 19-game scoreless streak — spread over 18.1 innings pitched — came to an end Wednesday, when he surrendered four runs in one-third of the ninth inning.

159

The combined height (in inches) of the game’s starting pitchers, Fister (6-foot-8) and McCarthy (6-foot-7).