Giants tag Eduardo Rodriguez with 3 HRs, D-backs open final week with lackluster loss

PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks starter Eduardo Rodriguez failed to get out of the fifth inning before giving up five runs to the San Francisco Giants in a 6-3 loss at Chase Field on Monday to open the final week of the regular season.

Rodriguez walked off the mound trailing 5-2 with two outs in the fourth and runners on the corners. Scott McGough escaped the jam to close the book on a disappointing follow-up to Rodriguez’s 11-strikeout day in Colorado.

Giants third baseman Matt Chapman zipped around the bases for a go-ahead, inside-the-park home run — the first from a Giants player since 2017 (Denard Span) — to give San Francisco a 3-1 lead in the third inning.

The Giants later tagged Rodriguez with two home runs over the fence from Casey Schmitt and Michael Conforto.

“Don’t make mistakes,” a frustrated Rodriguez said postgame. “I feel like the homers were just pitches I missed middle of the plate. That’s something that always happens, when you miss over the plate, you pay for it, no matter who you play.”

Rodriguez said he wanted to throw a fastball up but missed to Chapman, a cutter in that snuck over the plate to Schmitt and was looking down-and-away to Conforto but missed in and gave up a 430-footer.

“Like I said, don’t make mistakes, work on my command and get ready for my next game,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez also struck out eight batters in a mixed bag performance that involved a lot of hard contact. San Francisco smacked seven of 13 balls in play at least 99 mph off the bat, six over 100 mph.

His ERA through nine starts off the injured list is 5.56, as he has only lasted six innings once this season.

“He’s got enough starts to be be in rhythm and be consistent,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “Is he in midseason form? No … He’s been a really good pitcher at this level for a long time, so maybe there’s still a little drag on certain things, but I think overall, he’s ready to compete. … I don’t think you saw his best effort today.”

Chapman later hit an RBI triple to center off McGough, and both blasts sent Arizona’s Jake McCarthy barreling into the wall and coming up empty. McCarthy was frustrated to not catch either ball.

Matt Chapman turns on the jets for an inside-the-park homer! 🏃‍♂️

(MLB x @Adobe) pic.twitter.com/UYmQdQ1TiC

— MLB (@MLB) September 24, 2024

The D-backs jumped ahead early with a Joc Pederson RBI double off Giants right-hander Hayden Birdsong in the first, but they had trouble fully climbing back in once down by three runs.

Christian Walker and Geraldo Perdomo also drove in runs, but the ballclub left eight men on base and finished with seven hits and 11 strikeouts.

Birdsong went five frames with two earned runs and six strikeouts before the bullpen threw four innings with one run allowed.

“I don’t think there’s any pressing,” McCarthy said. “I feel like we’ve had our foot on the gas pedal for the whole season. Just chalk it up to baseball, we’re gonna bounce back tomorrow.”

Ketel Marte among starters out of lineup

Ketel Marte (ankle injury management), Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (calf injury management) and Gabriel Moreno (day-to-day with adductor tightness) were all out of the lineup. Marte and Gurriel pinch hit late but neither collected a knock.

Lovullo was asked whether he regretted the decision to sit Marte, who is still dealing with lingering discomfort from a high-ankle sprain, and he said it needed to happen.

“Hopefully we’re on our way to the playoffs. That’s where they really need me,” Marte said via Spanish interpreter. “So I thought it was a pretty good day to rest. … I’m not someone who asks for a lot of days off, but when I do ask for it, it is because I need it.”

Marte said he expects some discomfort to linger beyond the season, but he should be good to go for the final stretch.

As for Moreno, Lovullo said he was available to play off the bench on Monday, a positive sign for his prospects on Tuesday.

Wild Card check-in

The Diamondbacks have dropped two straight games as their grip on a National League Wild Card has loosened since they led 8-0 in Milwaukee before losing 10-9 on Sunday.

Arizona, in the third NL Wild Card spot at 87-70, leads the Atlanta Braves by 1.5 games without the tiebreaker as a buffer.

The Braves (85-71), second-place Wild Card squad New York Mets (87-69) and the Wild-Card-leading San Diego Padres (90-66) all had Monday off. The Mets and Braves playing each other starting Tuesday helps the Diamondbacks, but missed opportunities will add up.

“We got beat … we got to flush what happened tonight and be ready for a very stubborn team,” Lovullo said.

The D-backs will play to avoid a series loss on Tuesday with Brandon Pfaadt on the mound following his seven innings of one-run ball and 12 strikeouts Thursday in Milwaukee.

San Francisco will send All-Star Logan Webb to the mound.

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