Comeback foiled as D-backs fall in extras

Ramos picks up first career hit in 11-year journey to the Majors

September 6th, 2021

PHOENIX -- For the second time in three days, the D-backs fell to the Mariners in extra innings, dropping Sunday's finale 10-4 at Chase Field as Seattle locked up a weekend sweep.

The loss was the eighth in the last nine games for the D-backs, who at 45-93 are trying to avoid matching the franchise record for losses -- which came back in 2004, when that club finished 51-111.

Here are three things to know about the game:

1) The D-backs had a chance to win this game in the 10th
After holding the Mariners scoreless in the top of the 10th inning, the D-backs started the bottom of the inning with Andrew Young running at second base as the automatic runner.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo elected to have rookie Jake McCarthy bunt Young over to third with pinch-hitter Christian Walker and Josh Rojas due up.

"I just felt like we wanted to get that runner to third base, draw the infield in," Lovullo said. "And it wouldn't require, necessarily, a hit to score that runner. I felt comfortable with Christian being able to loft the ball or produce something that was going to beat a drawn-in outfield. Everything is just in flux and there's a lot of room for that hitter to have success."

Walker, though, struck out, and Rojas popped out to short to end the threat.

2) Clarke's struggles continued
Taylor Clarke was one of the team's most reliable relievers early in the season before suffering a strained teres major muscle. When he went down on June 14, Clarke had a 3.74 ERA, having posted a 0.90 ERA over his previous 10 outings.

The right-hander spent nearly two months on the injured list and in 13 games since returning he has allowed 13 runs (10 earned) in 9 2/3 innings.

Four of those runs came during the Mariners' seven-run outburst in the 11th inning on Sunday.

"Just trying to place the baseball instead of throwing it," Lovullo said of what went wrong with Clarke's outing. "And falling behind in counts and then having to throw middle-middle pitches that the hitters aren't missing. The secondary stuff is a little bit inconsistent. It's about finding that rhythm, finding the ability to command pitches and finish hitters off -- and it's about being consistent as well."

3) Ramos' journey comes full circle
While it didn't factor into the outcome of the game, it's worth noting that outfielder pinch-hit in the seventh and got his first big league hit in his first Major League plate appearance.

Ramos, who had his contract selected from Triple-A Reno prior to the game, spent 11 years in the Minors working up to his first crack at the big leagues.

"That was a great moment for all of us -- our entire dugout," Lovullo said. "You know, it's an 11-year journey through the Minor Leagues and I've seen him as a young kid. ... [He's] spent now five or six years in the same organization as he did and knew how talented he was. He found his way to the big leagues and that's the most important thing.

"When you watch somebody run back in the dugout with a big smile on their face having officially become a Major League player who's gotten his first Major League base hit, it's a very special moment. We all inside that dugout have been there one way or another so we celebrate with him today."