Sedona Red Recap: Diamondbacks fail in quest to post winning homestand

PHOENIX — Perhaps it’s just not meant to be.

Perhaps the Arizona Diamondbacks are not meant to have a winning homestand this season.

They dropped the ball in their latest attempt to secure a winning record, losing 10-4 to the Toronto Blue Jays, who won both games of the brief two-game series and have won three in row overall.

It’s the eighth time the D-backs have been swept this season as they finished 2-3 on the homestand.

Of more immediate concern, however, is Patrick Corbin (4-9).

Given Shelby Miller’s troubles, Corbin’s struggles have attracted considerably less attention.

For the fifth straight start and ninth time this season, he allowed at least five runs.

The Blue Jays scored twice in the first and fifth innings and added solo runs in the second and sixth innings.

Josh Donaldson hit a two-run home run in the first and had a run-scoring double in the sixth, the latter of which ended Corbin’s Wednesday afternoon.

Darwin Barney, Kevin Pillar and Troy Tulowitzki also had RBI off Corbin, who allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 5.2 innings.

Corbin’s ERA is a season-high 5.38, the worst among active D-backs starters.

He is 0-7 in 10 starts at home.

THE GOOD

All he does is hit, and hit well, especially, at home. Jean Segura led off the bottom of the first inning with a single to center, his third base hit of the series and fifth of the homestand. Over his last 21 games at Chase Field, Segura is hitting .372 (32-for-86) with three doubles, one triple, one home run, six RBI and three walks. His single eventually turned into the D-backs’ first run of the game, scoring on a Junior Lake throwing error

Base hits in each of his first two plate appearances raised Michael Bourn’s batting average eight points to .274, the highest it’s been since July 5th. It also gave him his third multi-hit effort of the homestand. With Chris Owings and David Peralta, as well as Chris Herrmann on the disabled list, Bourn has excelled over his past 20 starts, hitting .314 (27-for-86) with six doubles, two triples, one home run, nine RBI and 11 runs scored.

After seven scoreless innings, the D-backs exploded for three runs in the ninth. With one out and two on, Tuffy Gosewisch smacked a 1-0 fastball — clocked at 89 mph out of the left hand of Brett Cecil — high into the air and over the left field fence into the bullpen for a three-run home run, his first homer since May 23, 2015 vs. the Cubs. It was his second hit of the game, joining Segura (three hits) and Bourn (two) with multi-hit efforts.

THE BAD

On only the fifth pitch of the ballgame, the Blue Jays took a 2-0 lead as Donaldson hit a two-run home run, blasting a 2-0 fastball — clocked at 91-mph — the opposite way over the right field fence and into the pool. It was the 20th home run allowed by Corbin this season, one more than his previous season’s high of 19 in 2013, when he was an All-Star. Donaldson, meanwhile, has now reached safely in 24 straight games, tied for the longest active streak in the Majors.

An inning after scoring the Blue Jays’ first run, Barney drove in his team’s third run with a sacrifice fly to make it a 3-1 ballgame. The inning began with back-to-back doubles and a rare Segura fielding error, his fourth of the season.  Fortunately for Corbin and the D-backs, Lake was thrown out trying to stretch his leadoff two-base hit into a triple — the relay throw went 9-4-5 — so the only player to cross home plate was Devon Travis.

Rather than the end of the inning, an overturned call at second base in the fifth allowed the Blue Jays to tack on two more runs.  Tulowitzki and Pillar had consecutive RBI hits — Tulowitzki laced a double to left field, where Brandon Drury made a diving effort only to have the ball go off his glove and bounce to the wall — to put Toronto in front, 5-1.  Earlier, Donaldson had been called out on a fielder’s choice play at second, but following review, the play was overturned.

It’s mind-boggling, but so, too, has been the season. What has happened to Daniel Hudson? So reliable for much of the season, he has now been scored on in seven of his past 10 appearances. Called upon to pitch the eighth inning, Hudson allowed a two-run triple to Barney and a two-run home run to Encarnacion; the latter was his team-leading 26th of the season and traveled an estimated 471-feet.  Hudson is sporting a 25.65 ERA (19 ER in 6.2 IP) since June 23.

It was quite the debut performance against the D-backs for Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman. He matched his season-high with eight innings pitched, limiting the home team to one run on eight hits. He did not walk a single batter and struck out six, needing only 99 pitches to earn his eighth win of the year against four defeats. Stroman, who at one point retired 12 of 13, has now tossed at least six innings while allowing two runs or less in three of his past four starts.

STAT OF THE GAME

8.25: Corbin’s ERA over his past five starts, in which he’s allowed 22 ER in 24 IP

HE SAID IT

“I’ve looked at video a bunch, and I don’t see anything mechanically. Just the results aren’t there,” Corbin said. “I’m trying to get better and work on things in between starts. Hopefully, I can figure something out.”

NOTED

Donaldson’s first-inning home run was the 54th all-time to be hit directly into the pool.

Encarnacion’s eighth-inning home run was his 10th in 70 career at-bats at Chase Field.

Corbin threw 10 pitches in each of the second, third and fourth innings; 23 in the first.

Wearing their red alternate with black gradient “A” cap, the D-backs dropped to 5-13.

With a first-pitch temperature of 99 degrees, the game was played with the roof closed.

Arizona Coyotes anthem singer Patrick Lauder performed both national anthems Wednesday.

Miss Arizona 2016 Katelyn Niemiec threw out the ceremonial first pitch. It was a strike.

UP NEXT

Immediately after the game, the D-backs headed to the airport to begin a three-city, 10-game road trip.

Their first stop is Cincinnati, where they’ll enjoy a Thursday off day before opening a three-game series on Friday, July 22.

The opener sees a pair of right-handers — Archie Bradley and Dan Straily — take the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 with pregame coverage beginning 40 minutes earlier on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.

Bradley (3-5) is in the midst of a five-start winless streak.

He lost back-to-back outings to the Padres and Giants before rebounding with a no decision effort against the Dodgers in which he allowed one run on six hits in six innings, marking his second straight quality start and sixth this season.

Bradley has never faced the Reds.

Meanwhile, Straily (4-6) has never faced the D-backs.

He’s pitched well recently, winning two of his past three starts, including the last time toeing the rubber.

In what arguably was his best performance of the season, Straily threw seven innings of three-hit shutout baseball in a 1-0 win against Milwaukee. He walked one and struck out four.

Straily has gone at least six innings in three straight starts, all of which have been quality outings.

From Cincinnati, the D-backs, who went 6-1 against the Reds last season, will visit Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Follow @CraigAZSports