D-backs waste another solid start from Buchholz, split series with Mets

PHOENIX — When the Arizona Diamondbacks go looking for a pitcher to remove from the starting rotation due to the impending returns of Shelby Miller and Robbie Ray, it would be wise for them to look past Clay Buchholz.

He’s earned the right to remain.

On Sunday, Buchholz did what he’s done since joining the D-backs: put his team in position to win.

And the D-backs were well on their way to doing just that until the New York Mets rallied for four two-out runs off closer Brad Boxberger to pull out a 5-3 victory, stunning a sold-out crowd of 47,907 at Chase Field – the second sellout of the season and the first since Opening Day.

The win earned the Mets a split of the four-game series.

With the score 3-1 in the ninth inning, Jose Bautista hit an RBI double, Brandon Nimmo followed with a two-run home run and Asdrubal Cabrera hit solo shot on the next at-bat, helping the Mets post back-to-back wins for the first time in nearly a month.

It was Boxberger’s second blown save this month and third of the season.

Again, Buchholz was in line for the victory. He had held the Mets to one run on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 5.2 innings.

In six starts this season, Buchholz has allowed two or fewer runs while throwing at least five innings five times, and only allowed one run in four of those outings.

His ERA sits at 2.94.

The D-backs erased an early 1-0 deficit with RBI from David Peralta and Ketel Marte in a two-run fourth and then Jake Lamb added a run-scoring single in the eighth inning for a 3-1 lead.

The D-backs went 4-3 on the seven-game homestand and lead the NL West by one-and-a-half games.

THE GOOD

The 12th batter. That’s how long it took for the D-backs to record their first hit off Wheeler. And it was by Jake Lamb. He went the opposite way with a single lined just past the glove of third baseman Todd Frazier. It was only Lamb’s third hit of the series and fourth of the homestand. He entered 3-for-24 with two home runs and five RBI in the previous six games.

Leave it to Peralta to come through with runners in scoring position. He’s done it all season. With runners on first and second and one out in the fourth inning, Peralta smoked a double off the right-field wall to score Paul Goldschmidt, who had walked two batters earlier, with the tying run. Peralta is now batting .349 (15-for-43) with runners in scoring position.

Behind in the count 1-2 in his second plate appearance, Marte fouled off three straight pitches before working the count to 2-2. He then grounded an 89.4 mph slider, the eighth pitch of the at-bat, to second base. And though he was thrown out—by a quarter-step—the play scored Lamb with the go-ahead run, 2-1, in the fourth inning. It was Marte’s fifth RBI of the homestand.

It wasn’t perfect, but Yoshihsa Hirano extended his scoreless streak to 16.2 innings (19 games). After two quick outs in the eighth inning, he walked back-to-back batters and then fell behind Nimmo 2-0. Hirano responded with three straight fastballs, the last one 93.6 mph freezing Nimmo for strike three. Hirano’s run is the second-longest active streak in the NL.

It’s called an insurance run, and Lamb was the one responsible. With runners on first and third and one out in the eighth inning, Lamb again went the opposite way dropping a ball into shallow left field for an RBI single. The play scored Jon Jay, who had doubled. The RBI marked Lamb’s third of the series, sixth of the homestand and 11th in his last 14 games since June 1.

THE BAD

For the second straight game and third time in the series, the Mets dented the scoreboard first. Four batters into Sunday’s contest, Frazier hit a sacrifice fly to center field, plating Nimmo, who had led off the inning with a double into the left-field corner. Nimmo advanced to third on a groundout and then scored on Frazier’s at-bat.

First time through the order and Zack Wheeler was perfect. He faced the minimum with five strikeouts, including two in both the first and third innings. The other four outs were split between a groundout to shortstop or a fly out to left field. Wheeler, who walked a season-high four batters in his last start, needed just 36 pitches to complete three innings.

Booed after every at-bat, Alex Avila is now hitting .109. He went 0-for-4 with one strikeout. He has now struck out 53 times in 100 official at-bats, which covers 44 games. Following the strikeout in the first inning, Avila flied out to center field in the fourth, stranding runners on second and third, and grounded into a 6-3 double play in the seventh.

Coming into the game, Boxberger had allowed just three home runs all season. Both Nimmo and Cabrera hit changeups, with both baseballs going over the right-field fence. It marked the third time this season that the Mets hit back-to-back home runs. The Nimmo homer was a three-run shot, his career-high 10th of the season, and put the Mets ahead 4-3.

STAT OF THE GAME

2: The D-backs suffered just their second loss of the season when leading after eight innings; they are now 36-2

HE SAID IT

“You play a perfect game, really a very good game for eight innings and then you go into the last inning and unfortunately you don’t close it out,” Torey Lovullo said.

NOTED

Buchholz threw a first-pitch strike to 14 of the 22 batters faced; in addition, he reached a 3-ball count five times

Peralta went 1-for-4 and is now batting .350 (21-for-60) with four doubles and 15 RBI in 15 games in June

Goldschmidt went 2-for-3 with a walk and is now batting .491 (26-for-53) with 14 RBI in his last 16 games

Daniel Descalso has now reached base safely in a career-high 16 straight games, batting .395 (17-for-43)

Andrew Chafin has now recorded scoreless outings in 21 of his last 23 appearances, including the last five

Mets pitcher Jason Vargas, Thursday’s starter, was ejected by home plate umpire Jim Reynolds in the fourth inning Saturday

D-backs won their fifth consecutive game played on Father’s Day and improved to 9-12 overall on the holiday

With a first-pitch temperature of 91 degrees, the game was played with both the roof and the panels closed

As part of the Father’s Day celebration, the players wore blue-themed items including special caps and socks

UP NEXT

The longest road trip of the season, at least in terms of games played.

The D-backs left immediately after the game for Los Angeles and a quick two-game series with the Angels. It’s the D-backs’ first time playing the Angles since 2015.

Right-handers Zack Greinke and Jamie Barria take the mound in the opener on Monday, June 18. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. with pregame coverage beginning 37 minutes earlier on 98.7 FM, Arizona’s Sports Station.

Greinke (5-5) is coming off a home loss to the Pirates, which ended a two-start winning streak. It was arguably his worst loss of the season, allowing a season-high tying five run in a season-low 4.2 innings. He also walked a season-worst four batters in the game.

For his career, Greinke is 3-5 with a 3.91 ERA in 12 games, including 11 starts, against the Angels.

Meanwhile, Barria (5-2), like Greinke, lost his most recent outing. He was on the wrong end of a 6-3 decision at Seattle. Barria, though, has pitched well in this his rookie season. Prior to his last time on the mound, Barria had gone 4-0 with a 2.15 ERA with 26 strikeouts in five starts.

From Los Angeles, the D-backs head to Pittsburgh and Miami for back-to-back four-game series.

Follow @CraigAZSports