Diamondbacks offense goes quiet as series opening loss halts momentum

After a series win over the Chicago Cubs, the Arizona Diamondbacks couldn’t keep the positive momentum going Thursday against the San Francisco Giants, as the club produced just a single run on six hits in a 6-1 loss.

The Diamondbacks were 8-1 against the Giants entering Thursday.

The scoring got started with a Drew Gilbert leadoff home run in the first inning to get San Francisco on the board. D-backs starter Jose Cabrera worked out of trouble in the inning, leaving two runners on.

Gabriel Moreno knotted the game at one with a solo home run in the fourth inning, his 11th of the season. Moreno got his first off day since Aug. 4 on Wednesday.

Neither team registered a hit from the fifth to the seventh inning until the Giants added some insurance runs in the eighth inning, and the Diamondbacks had the first two runners reach in the ninth.

The Giants scored their second run, and what looked like the game-winner for a while, in the fifth inning after a leadoff hit-by-pitch. The following batter laid a bunt down the first base line, which Moreno collected and tossed to first for the out. However, both Cabrera and third baseman Jose Fernandez crashed the ball with nobody covering third base, and Christian Koss, who was hit by the pitch, went from first to third. Gilbert then hit a sacrifice fly to bring Koss home.

Cabrera threw 4.1 innings of two-run baseball, allowing three hits and a walk for the Diamondbacks. Taylor Clarke and Jonathan Loáisiga covered 2.2 scoreless innings combined before Kevin Ginkel couldn’t finish the eighth inning, allowing five runs in the process. Juan Burgos got the final two outs of the eighth.

The Giants bullpen threw four scoreless innings after starter Landen Roupp managed five innings of one-run ball.

The Diamondbacks’ best opportunity, came with the bases loaded in the fourth inning after Moreno had tied the game. With one out, Ildemaro Vargas flew out not deep enough to bring the go-ahead run in and Ryan Waldschmidt struck out to end the inning.

Before things got out of hand in the bottom of inning, Moreno worked a two-out walk in the eighth as the tying run, only to get throw out attempting to steal second.

After an impressive series win over the Cubs to begin the week, a 6-1 loss to the Giants (55-79) in the series opener was not the start the D-backs (71-64) were looking for in the heat of a Wild Card race.

With no teams in the hunt in action Thursday, Arizona had a chance to move within a half game of the San Diego Padres for the final Wild Card spot. Instead, the club dropped to 1.5 games behind the NL West foes.

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