Diamondbacks are stacking quality performances, take opener vs. Padres

PHOENIX — After some early hiccups, the Arizona Diamondbacks played another all-around quality game, shutting out the San Diego Padres after the first inning for a 5-1 victory at Chase Field.

The Diamondbacks have won four straight games after sweeping the Seattle Mariners earlier this week, doing so with effective starting pitching, improved defense and enough timely hitting.

Starter Ryne Nelson and relievers Kyle Backhus, Juan Morillo, Ryan Thompson and Shelby Miller combined for nine innings and no earned runs. The D-backs are now 17-0 when allowing two runs or fewer this season, one of two teams in MLB yet to lose such a game (Baltimore Orioles 18-0).

With the win, Arizona is back over .500 (35-34) for the first time since May 23 (26-25) and are 4.5 games back of a playoff spot.

“This was just a quality game in a lot of different ways,” manager Torey Lovullo said

“Ryne Nelson goes out there and just dials it up. What’s more impressive about it is he’s been laying in bed sick for the past three or four days, he’s been really grinding with an illness. He had a good off day yesterday, gathered enough strength to go out there and compete and he kept a really good offensive team in check. That’s the grittiness we’re talking about.”

Ryne Nelson gets back on track

Nelson said he felt much better after dealing with a stomach bug following his last start in Cincinnati on Saturday.

The Padres hit Nelson hard to start the game with a clear gameplan. Nelson struggled with walks against the Reds and allowed seven runs in a game for the first time since May 2024.

The Padres were geared up for fastballs in the zone early in counts and racked up five hits in the opening three innings. And yet, Nelson limited them to one run through five frames, which was unearned.

“ I feel like I was starting to get back into a little bit of a rhythm, hoping to keep that progression going and start feeling better and better,” Nelson said. “It wasn’t perfect today but battled through some stuff and ended up getting the W.”

Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a double on the first pitch of the game, and he scored on a fly ball by Luis Arraez. Center fielder Alek Thomas’ throw skipped by the glove of third baseman Eugenio Suarez and past Nelson backing up, gifting San Diego a run.

Arizona’s defense was not the sharpest in the first two innings, but that changed. It was excellent for the rest of the game after an apparent gaffe on a throw down to second base was wiped away by an umpire’s interference call in the second — which may have been a momentum-swinging moment that cost San Diego a run.

The Padres went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position against Nelson, who seemed to really settle in after the loud contact early. Arizona pulled him after 79 pitches, his second highest total of the season.

Corbin Carroll hits No. 20, as offense does its job

The Diamondbacks combined slug with timely knocks to build their lead, starting with a game-tying solo shot by Josh Naylor in the second inning off Padres starters Stephen Kolek.

Geraldo Perdomo delivered a go-ahead, RBI single in the third inning to cap a two-out rally started by Corbin Carroll reaching base on a dropped third strike (passed ball on Elias Diaz) — another game-altering moment.

After Carroll homered (20) in the fifth, Ketel Marte singled, Perdomo doubled and Naylor hit a sacrifice fly. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. drove home Perdomo with a single to take a 5-1 lead.

Kolek entered Friday having thrown back-to-back scoreless starts, but the D-backs chased him in the fifth.

Carroll has reached the 20-home run mark in each of the last three seasons. He is one of eight players in franchise history to blast 20 long balls three times and one of six to do so in three consecutive seasons. The other five are Paul Goldschmidt (2015-18), Luis Gonzalez (1999-2003), Steve Finley (2002-04), Christian Walker (2022-24) and Mark Reynolds (2008-10), per Stathead.

Corbin Carroll's 20th home run of the season!

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— MLB (@MLB) June 14, 2025

“I always get told I’m the small guy and I’ve got no power, so it feels good to put a couple balls over the fence here and there,” Carroll told Tricia Whitaker on the Apple TV+ broadcast.

Marte, meanwhile, has reached base in 25 straight games, the second-longest such streak of his career.

D-backs’ bullpen had itself a day

The Diamondbacks bullpen is having a nice week.

Backhus recorded four outs, helped by a stellar 6-3 double play by Perdomo. Morillo retired the final two batters of the seventh, and Thompson earned a 1-2-3 eighth inning against the top of the Padres’ lineup.

Gurriel made a leaping grab to his backhand to rob Arraez of potential extra bases.

Miller, who is now the de facto closer with Justin Martinez needing Tommy John surgery, locked down the ninth inning.

The bullpen finished with four innings pitched, no hits and one walk.

“The bullpen is definitely a momentum-driven position. I think when the whole bullpen’s doing good, it can lift each guy up,” Nelson, who started the year in the bullpen, said.

Over the last five games, Arizona’s bullpen has accounted for 17 innings and five earned runs, an ERA of 2.65. However, if you take out the ninth inning on Monday, when Martinez exited and the D-backs allowed four runs, the unit has allowed only one run in 16 innings, an ERA of 0.56.

Diamondbacks’ next game

Zac Gallen takes the mound for the Diamondbacks on Saturday, another national TV game on FOX. Right-hander Ryan Bergert will make his third career start for San Diego.

First pitch is at 4:15 p.m. on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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