Little things add up to big win to end trip

June 12th, 2022

PHILADELPHIA -- As Luke Weaver warmed up for his first MLB appearance in more than two months, the sound of Blink-182’s “All the Small Things” filled Citizens Bank Park.

It turned out to be a sign of things to come.

The D-backs did all the little things Sunday afternoon in a 13-1 victory over the Phillies. They took advantage of their opponent's mistakes and bounced back from their own. They had timely hits and timely strikeouts. They drew 11 walks, manufactured runs and had seven pitchers combine to limit one of the hottest teams in baseball to seven hits, nearly half of which came with the game out of reach.

“It was just what we needed after a couple of frustrating games where things didn’t necessarily go our way,” said manager Torey Lovullo. “The guys dug deep. They grinded.”

The small things helped Weaver, who made slight tweaks to his delivery during his time away from the club. While standing more upright and attempting to be more fluid, Weaver provided three innings of one-run relief behind opener Kyle Nelson. He struck out four, allowed three hits and walked two in his first appearance since April 7.  

“I was just trying to be firmer in my foundation on the mound,” Weaver said.

“That first one is tough because you’re back to a very big environment and your old habits want to creep back in. But you have to fight through and be like, ‘No, I have to trust everything I’ve been doing.’”

The win ends a two-game losing streak for the D-backs (29-33), who completed their longest road trip of the season with a 4-6 record. It snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Phillies (30-30) and handed them their first loss since replacing former manager Joe Girardi with Rob Thomson.

The game turned on a pair of errors -- one by each team. The Phillies’ error dug them a hole they never got out of. The D-backs bounced back from theirs and proceeded to blow the game open.

With one out and the bases loaded in the top of the first, Pavin Smith hit a grounder back to pitcher Ranger Suárez, who threw home to attempt a force out. J.T. Realmuto missed the catch, allowing Jordan Luplow to score an unearned run. As the ball bounced away, Josh Rojas scrambled home in a heads up play to give the D-backs a 2-0 lead.

Nelson, who opened just once in the Minors, then proceeded to do exactly what Lovullo hoped he would: retire the Phillies’ big lefties. Kyle Schwarber opened the bottom of the first with a flyout. Two batters later, Bryce Harper ended the inning by grounding into a double play. 

“We scripted this out and it went just like we wanted it to,” Lovullo said. “The beauty of this game is it doesn’t always happen that way. When it does, you can see it works for a reason.”

In the fifth, Rojas made his own error to load the bases with one out. The D-backs led by three runs, but the middle of Philadelphia’s potent lineup was coming up. Rojas pumped his fist in frustration. Noé Ramirez trotted in calmly from the bullpen. 

Ramirez struck out Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto to strand the bases loaded. It was a big moment that Ramirez stayed calm in by noting how little of a chance his opponents actually had -- statistically speaking. 

“The way I see it, hitting is really tough,” Ramirez said. “It’s always in my head. These guys fail 70% of the time and get paid a lot of money to do that. I know the chances in a game situation favors me. That helps my confidence.”

The D-backs broke the game open with four runs in the following inning, highlighted by a two-run single from Christian Walker. Walker had two of the team’s four extra base hits. He came up in the eighth needing only a home run for the cycle. He drew a walk and came around to score. The D-backs scored in each of the final five innings.  

And when it was over, all the small things added up to their largest run total of the season.