Diamondbacks hold on after bumpy ride, 5-run 1st inning vs. Pirates

The Arizona Diamondbacks rallied and survived on Friday in a 9-8 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates that shouldn’t have even been all that eventful.

Arizona scored in its first four at-bats of the game as part of a five-run first inning before a few runs off Brandon Pfaadt and the bullpen found the D-backs down 7-6 through six innings.

New D-backs first baseman Josh Bell homered for the second time in the seventh inning and Geraldo Perdomo knocked an RBI double in the eighth to put Arizona back in front.

This turned the attention back to the bullpen, a group with a lot of eyeballs on it after manager Torey Lovullo announced earlier in the day that Paul Sewald was no longer the team’s closer and that the position would be dictated by matchup.

Lovullo has used this system in the past to mixed results but certainly has never had as deep of a bullpen as this.

Outside of a brief blip for Kevin Ginkel in May, he and Ryan Thompson have been nails in the setup roles behind Sewald. Trade deadline acquisitions Dylan Floro and A.J. Puk have the statistical resumes to earn consideration, including 32 career saves for Floro and 20 for Puk. That’s before getting to the young flamethrower Justin Martinez, someone Lovullo has turned to more frequently in the last two months for situations with real leverage.

Our first real look at the whole picture began with a combination of Ginkel and Puk in the sixth inning that combined for four earned runs and that initial deficit.

Floro threw a 1-2-3 seventh to keep things level after the Bell homer and was followed by Martinez in the eighth, who struck out his first two batters before wild control issues emerged when he walked Andrew McCutchen and fell behind Brian Reynolds 2-0. A mound visit from Gabriel Moreno and Perdomo, however, seemed to calm Martinez down and he struck out the side.

Ketel Marte, as he has done a few times this season, homered late in a game the D-backs are leading to provide insurance with a solo blast. It was also his second of the game and his 26th of the year.

Thompson got the ninth and the game’s vibrant energy was maintained when Oneil Cruz’s fifth hit eventually led to him scoring and put the winning run at the plate with one out. The dramatics finally died out there, with Thompson recording the two final outs for his second straight save.

The madness to kick off the game makes it hard to believe the game even got to that point.

Leadoff man Corbin Carroll technically homered, if we’re counting little league style. Carroll tripled down the left field line, and after an errant throw into third base, he flew down the line to home base. A casual approach by Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes allowed for no play to be made at the plate.

Corbin Carroll comes all the way around to start the game! pic.twitter.com/gUwYyuKkpN

— MLB (@MLB) August 2, 2024

Ketel Marte followed and absolutely demolished a hanger from Pirates starter Luis Ortiz that crashed off the fence all the way at the top of the seats in right field.

BACK… pic.twitter.com/QdneSEwxHj

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 2, 2024

Joc Pederson cleared that fence to make it a challenge for whatever fan was trying to get a souvenir, putting the ball in the river.

…-TO BACK… pic.twitter.com/jLnnoRxFOz

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 2, 2024

Bell had the most efficient debut at-bat in franchise history, mashing the first pitch he saw (another one right over the plate) to deep right-center in a ballpark he knows well.

…-TO BACK!!!

Welcome to the Diamondbacks, Josh! 💪 pic.twitter.com/Ted87wimzl

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 2, 2024

A fielder’s choice for Alek Thomas later in the inning gave starter Brandon Pfaadt a five-run cushion to work with before he even tossed one pitch.

Pfaadt had a relatively clean three innings before giving up two singles for a run in the fourth innings and then two doubles and a single for a pair of runs in the fifth. He ended up with three earned runs in 5.0 innings on seven hits and a walk.

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