Sedona Red Recap: Goldschmidt Gets Back on Track as D-backs Walk-off Reds
Aug 9, 2015, 6:35 PM | Updated: 7:43 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt hits an RBI double against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2015, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
(AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
By Luke Lapinski, Arizona Sports
As crazy as it sounds, Paul Goldschmidt had actually been slumping lately. Entering play on Sunday, he was just 3-for-27 with one run and one RBI in the month of August.
Apparently the slump is over.
Goldschmidt went 3-for-4, David Peralta delivered a remarkable five-hit performance and the bullpen combined for four scoreless innings as the Arizona Diamondbacks knocked off the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 in 10 innings with 28,116 fans looking on at Chase Field.
The victory gives the D-backs their third series win since the All-Star break, and moves them to within two games of the .500 mark. Goldschmidt doubled home A.J. Pollock to put Arizona up 1-0 in the first, then drove a long double to deep right center in the third. Just to show he wasn’t done, he later singled, walked and ultimately scored the game-winning run.
The D-backs played some small ball to manufacture that winning run in the 10th inning. Goldschmidt led off with a walk, Peralta delivered yet another single and Jarrod Saltalamacchia bunted both runners over. After Mark Lamb was intentionally walked, the stage was set for Chris Owings to be the hero. And he responded, ending the game by crushing a Ryan Mattheus pitch to deep center.
It was the first career walk-off hit for Owings, and the fourth by Arizona this season.
The game ended with some confusion though, as the Reds claimed the D-backs runners didn’t properly touch all the bases on the final play. While the Arizona players celebrated in the middle of the infield, Cincinnati tossed the ball around and tagged each base, arguing there should have been enough force outs at that point to end the inning and keep the game going. The umpires conferred for a few moments, before denying the Reds’ claim.
THE GOOD
-Goldschmidt made a nice defensive play in the sixth, lunging to his right to scoop up a sharp grounder off the bat of Marlon Byrd, then tossing a perfect lead pass in front of Patrick Corbin as he ran to first for the put-out. He made a similar play on a Brandon Phillips grounder in the 10th as well.
-Saltalamacchia continued the trend of good defense by making a diving catch on a foul pop-up off the bat of Tucker Barnhart in the seventh. At the time, the Reds had just tied the game, and had a runner on second with no outs. The D-backs got out of the inning without yielding any more runs, keeping the score even at 3-3.
-Goldschmidt’s first inning RBI was the 381st of his career, moving him into a tie with Matt Williams for fifth place on Arizona’s all-time list.
-Pollock has now reached base in 30 of his last 32 games.
-Andrew Chafin extended his scoreless streak to 14 innings. The last time he gave up a run was July 8 against the Texas Rangers.
-Arizona starting pitchers have posted a 1.37 ERA in the last seven games at Chase Field.
THE BAD
-Saltalamacchia left four runners on base.
-Goldschmidt was caught stealing as he attempted to take third base in the third inning. Had he been successful, he would have become the sixth player in franchise history to put together a 20/20 season. Of course, he still has 52 more games to pick up that steal.
STAT OF THE GAME
5: Number of hits by David Peralta, a new career high.
HE SAID IT
“It feels good. You know, it was my first time going 5-for-5 in the big leagues so it was a special day. And more special because of the walk-off. We needed that game so, really good. I feel really good.” – David Peralta
NOTED
-The D-backs are now 8-6 in extra inning games this season.
-They’re 6-7 when tied after eight innings.
-Cincinnati leads the Majors with 104 stolen bases, while Arizona ranks No. 2 in that category with 97. The two clubs combined to swipe three bags on Sunday.
-The Diamondbacks’ 4th Annual Alumni Game took place after the game with the Reds wrapped up.
UP NEXT
The D-backs will stay home to start a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday. Rubby De La Rosa will get the start for Arizona, while Philadelphia counters with Aaron Harang. First pitch is slated for 6:40 p.m., with pregame coverage at 6 p.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7.
De La Rosa (9-5) yielded two runs over five innings in his last outing, picking up a victory over the Nationals on Aug. 5. He’s now 3-0 in his last four starts, and the D-backs have won every game in that stretch. In his last five outings at Chase Field, he’s 3-1 with a very respectable 2.76 ERA. Monday will mark just his second career start against the Phillies.
Harang (5-12) began the season by going 4-3, but he’s picked up just one win since May 14. Granted, he hasn’t had a lot of run support in Philadelphia, but he has also seen his ERA rise considerably in that time as well. He’s 1-9 in his last 10 outings, including a 4-3 loss against the Dodgers on Aug. 5, in which he surrendered four runs over five innings. This will be his 19th career start (20th appearance) against Arizona, but just his first in 2015.
