D-backs offense goes quiet in loss to Giants
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SAN FRANCISCO -- The Diamondbacks didn't see this one coming.
Fresh off a series win over the Cubs at home, the Diamondbacks came into Thursday night's series opener against the struggling Giants looking to continue their recent stretch of good play and pick up a half-game on the Padres in the battle for the NL's third Wild Card spot.
Instead it was the Giants that came away with a win, beating the Diamondbacks 6-1 at Oracle Park.
With the loss the Diamondbacks fell to 1 1/2 games behind the idle Padres in the Wild Card race.
Was it a letdown after the hard-fought series with the Cubs, who are the leaders for the top Wild Card spot?
"Yeah, I mean, I don't know how else to look at it," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "We didn't execute late in the game from a pitching standpoint, we made some mistakes from an offensive standpoint, we made some mistakes from a baserunning standpoint, a defensive standpoint. Those are tough things for us to stomach here because it doesn't happen very often. We're going to be better."
Rookie Jose Cabrera was called up from Triple-A Reno to start the game and pitched well, allowing two runs over 4 2/3 innings before Lovullo pulled him because he didn't want Cabrera to face the order for a third time.
Offensively, though, the Diamondbacks had a tough time figuring out Giants starter Landen Roupp and a trio of San Francisco relievers.
They scored their lone run when Gabriel Moreno led off the fourth with a homer to win a nine-pitch battle, but could not push another run across in the inning despite loading the bases with just one out.
"The very critical moment in this game today was the top of the fourth, bases loaded and one out," Lovullo said. "I felt like if we got some slug there we would have broken this thing open and it would have been a totally different outcome. I want these guys to step up in the most important moment and be the guy, but not try to do too much. I think we're all victims of that sometimes."
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Even while taking two of three from the Cubs, the Diamondbacks offense was not exactly hitting on all cylinders.
They were shut out in the series opener by Kevin Gausman and won the second game, 5-4, by scoring all their runs in the eighth and ninth innings. Then, in the series finale, they managed to win 2-0.
"I feel like our approach is real good with different pockets," Lovullo said. "And then certain guys at certain times trying to do a little bit too much."
Arizona will try and even the series Friday night with another rookie, lefty Kohl Drake, being called up from Reno to make the start.