Grit Index: D-backs surrender five home runs in series finale loss to Cardinals
Jun 7, 2013, 3:57 AM | Updated: 3:57 am
The Arizona Diamondbacks surrendered five home runs, and endured an eight-run fourth inning that was too much to overcome against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night.
The D-backs were handed a 12-8 loss by the Cardinals to split their four-game series at Busch Stadium.
Matt Adams, Daniel Descalso, Matt Holliday, Matt Carpenter and even starting pitcher Shelby Miller all went deep against D-backs’ pitching. Arizona starter Ian Kennedy was tagged for three of those homers.
The Good
Despite trailing by a 12-2 margin after five innings, the D-backs refused to quit. Arizona began to chip away, scoring three runs in the seventh and another three in the ninth.
Gerardo Parra went 3-for-4 with an RBI for Arizona.
The Bad
Kennedy, who’s endured a rocky 2013 campaign thus far, saw his struggles continue against the Cardinals. The D-backs’ right-hander allowed 10 earned runs on 13 hits in four innings. He also walked two and struck out four on the night. Kennedy fell to 3-4 on the season and saw his ERA rise to 5.72.
Reliever Matt Reynolds didn’t fare much better than Kennedy. He surrendered back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning upon entering the game.
Noted
• The Cardinals improved to 9-0-3 in their last 12 series. They also hit five homers for the first time since July 27.
• The D-backs drafted right-hander Braden Shapley from Nevada with the 15th overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft. They selected RHP Aaron Blair from Marshall University with the 36th pick and shortstop Justin Williams from Terrebonne High School in Louisiana with the 52nd pick.
What’s Next
The D-backs head home to Chase Field to take on the division rival San Francisco Giants on Friday, June 7. Patrick Corbin (9-0, 2.06) will go for his NL-leading 10th win. He will be opposed by Matt Cain (4-3, 5.45) for the Giants. The game is scheduled to start at 6:40 p.m. local time and can be heard on Arizona Sports 620.
