Sedona Red Recap: Dodgers Get to De La Rosa Early, Snapping Arizona’s Two-Game Winning Streak
Sep 12, 2015, 10:21 PM | Updated: 11:11 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Rubby De La Rosa (12) is pulled from the game from Arizona Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale, left, as Welington Castillo (7) and Nick Ahmed look on during the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
The Arizona Diamondbacks put on a hitting display to land a victory on Friday night, erupting for 12 runs. The Los Angeles Dodgers returned the favor on Saturday night.
Four different LA hitters homered, and Rubby De La Rosa turned in his shortest outing of the year, lasting just two innings in front of a raucous crowd of 42,517 fans at Chase Field. Before the D-backs could even notch their first run, the Dodgers had already jumped out to a 7-0 lead.
Arizona battled back with three in the fourth, and another run in both the sixth and seventh innings. That kept Chip Hale’s squad within striking distance, but they were never able to close the gap any further, ultimately falling by a final of 9-5.
Tonight’s contest was an eventful one. With both Arizona and LA fans in attendance and making plenty of noise, the heated rivalry between the two clubs was once again in full effect. Both benches were also warned during the game and, at one point, a fan reached out and caught a ball that left fielder David Peralta seemed poised to catch, firing up the crowd once again.
THE GOOD
-Nick Ahmed made a nice catch in the first, leaning over the rail in foul territory to retire Adrian Gonzalez and minimize the damage early on.
-Peter O’Brien delivered a pinch hit, RBI single in the fourth – his second in as many nights. The highly touted prospect is now 2-for-2 with two RBI in his young career.
-A.J. Pollock picked up his 34th stolen base of the season, good for fourth in the National League.
-Matt Reynolds delivered two innings of solid relief work, keeping the D-backs within striking distance. Five of the six outs he recorded came via strikeout.
THE BAD
-Carl Crawford led off the game with a homerun. That set the tone for De La Rosa’s evening.
-De La Rosa threw 36 of his 58 pitches for strikes. Problem is, a lot of those pitches were hanging out right over the plate. He allowed six earned runs over two innings, giving him an ERA of 27.00 for the evening.
-In the top of the fifth, Corey Seager popped the ball into foul territory where a fan reached over and grabbed it out of mid air just before Peralta could catch it. Naturally, Seager homered on the very next pitch – the first of his career.
STAT OF THE GAME
9: With his seventh inning homerun, Peralta extended his hitting streak to nine games.
HE SAID IT
“Well, you know what, that’s just a natural reaction. That ball is a long way from where both those guys are playing, and they’re hustling and doing the best they can. And fans get excited – they want a ball. I don’t think they realize how much it hurts when it hits you in the hands.” – Chip Hale, on the foul ball that a fan appeared to take from Peralta down the left field line
NOTED
-Paul Goldschmidt received the MLBPAA Heart and Hustle Award before the game. He is the first Diamondback to win the award in back-to-back seasons.
-Arizona is now 4-10 against the Dodgers this season.
-The D-backs have now scored 44 runs over their last seven home meetings with Los Angeles.
UP NEXT
These two teams will wrap up this three-game series Sunday afternoon at Chase Field. First pitch is set for 1:10, with pregame coverage beginning at 12:30 on ESPN Phoenix 620.
In terms of pitching matchups, this certainly has the potential to be the best one we see at Chase Field the rest of the season. Patrick Corbin will get the start for Arizona, while Los Angeles counters with Zack Greinke.
Corbin (5-3) has been impressive since returning from the Tommy John surgery that cost him all of last season and the first portion of this year. He’s allowed three earned runs or less in 10 of his 12 starts this season, is in the midst of a four-game winning streak and is 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA in his last three outings.
For the Diamondbacks to get where they want to go next season and beyond, Corbin will likely have to be a big part of the equation.
Meanwhile, Greinke (16-3) may very well be on his way to a Cy Young Award. His 1.68 ERA and 0.86 WHIP over 192.2 innings lead the Majors, and his 16 wins are good for third in the NL. He’s won 11 of his last 12 decisions — dating back to June — and is 1-0 against Arizona so far in 2015.
