Sedona Red Recap: D-backs offense fights back for 12-inning win against Dodgers
Sep 18, 2016, 6:45 PM | Updated: Sep 19, 2016, 1:57 am
Arizona Diamondbacks' Brandon Drury, center, celebrates with Yasmany Tomas (24) and teammates after his game winning RBI single against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 12th inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks defeated the Dodgers 10-9. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
(AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks’ offense would not allow its team to lose Sunday.
The hitters would provide Robbie Ray with seven runs of run support early on and then complete a comeback after the bullpen blew a six-run lead to win the game 10-9 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
When Ray was perfect through the first 4.2 innings and the D-backs scored seven runs in the first five innings, the game appeared to already have its conclusion.
That wouldn’t be the case, however, after the Dodgers scored six runs in the sixth inning off Ray, Randall Delgado and Edwin Escobar to make it a tie game.
Two innings later, Howie Kendrick’s two-RBI double off Enrique Burgos gave the Dodgers a 9-7 lead, but that was quickly countered by a two-run home run by Chris Owings in the bottom half of the eighth.
The conclusion would come in the bottom of the 12th inning, when Paul Goldschmidt scored on Brandon Drury’s walk-off RBI single after Goldschmidt ran out a hustle double. Drury reached base six times in the game.
THE GOOD
Jean Segura was at it again. Ahead in the count 3-0 on the first at-bat of the game for the D-backs, Segura watched a pitch go very down in the zone and took two steps to first before hearing the strike call. On the very next pitch, Segura ripped a double. It’s the second game in a row Segura has started the game off with an extra-base hit.
Ray didn’t even let the Dodgers get the ball out of the infield much in the first four innings. He retired the first 12 batters of the game on seven strikeouts, four groundouts and one popup.
Segura was intentionally walked in front of Owings in the bottom of the fourth, but Owings responded by hitting an RBI double after that walk and then the game-tying homer in the following at-bat.
Mitch Haniger was one of several Arizona hitters to get terrific contact on the ball off Dodgers starter Jose De Leon. His two-run homer in the fourth was a bomb that hit off the second floor in left field.
Along with Haniger, Drury was seeing the ball wonderfully. His solo long ball in the fifth inning would make it his third run scored of the game. The two combined to go 7-for-10 with three walks.
THE BAD
Paul Goldschmidt’s bizarre strikeout numbers continued Sunday. He entered the game with eight strikeouts in the first three games of the series, the most he’s had over three straight games in his entire career. With Segura on third and one out in the bottom of the first, Goldschmidt struck out again, his ninth of the series.
Like Shelby Miller the night before, Ray began to struggle in the middle innings after a hopeful start to the game. Ray allowed two baserunners in the top of the fifth inning after the perfect game bid was done, and then the Dodgers started off the top of the sixth inning with back-to-back doubles. His day was finished in the same inning after Los Angeles added a third run on a Hernandez RBI single.
Ray left the game in the bottom of the sixth with three earned runs, a 7-3 lead and left two runners on base for Randall Delgado with two outs. Delgado walked the only two batters he faced, bringing in one run for Los Angeles and the deficit down to three with the bases loaded for Adrian Gonzalez and Edwin Escobar relieving Delgado. Gonzalez cleared the bases on a double and tied the game off Escobar, making it a six-run sixth inning and a tie game.
STAT OF THE GAME
2: Goldschmidt has nine more HRs and 30 more RBI than anyone else in baseball off the Dodgers since his MLB debut over five years ago, but the 29-year-old managed only two hits in his 18 at-bats of the four-game series against Los Angeles.
HE SAID IT
“Almost in cruise control, and then there’s a reason why that team’s in first place.” – D-backs manager Chip Hale on the Dodgers’ comeback
NOTED
– The D-backs recognized the University of Arizona baseball team before the game. The team reached the 2016 College World Series Championship Game.
– On this day in 2002, Greg Colbrunn hit the second cycle in D-backs history. As it turns out, Drury would end the game a triple short of the cycle.
– Ray reached 200 strikeouts in his previous outing, becoming only the fourth pitcher in franchise history to do so. He had eight more Sunday.
– 17 combined pitchers were used by the two teams.
UP NEXT
Arizona travels to San Diego to face off with the Padres to begin their last road trip of the season. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., with pregame coverage beginning 40 minutes prior on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.
Braden Shipley (4-3) will take the mound for the D-backs. Shipley has won two of his last three starts but has allowed 12 earned runs in the 13.1 innings of those outings. When the promising Arizona rookie has had it going, though, he’s been outstanding. In his nine starts this season, Shipley has three outings in which he has gone at least six innings and given up one run or less.
For the Padres, Paul Clemens (3-5) is coming off his best start of the season against the San Francisco Giants, in which the 28-year-old held the Giants scoreless in five innings of work.
Clemens will be making start No. 10 in 2016 on Monday, doubling the highest amount of starting appearances the right-hander had for a season prior to this year. Don’t expect him to last in the game, though, as Clemens has only pitched into the sixth inning once this season.
