PHOENIX -- This was going to be another much-needed win for the Diamondbacks. A chance for back-to-back victories that would put their recent five-game skid further in the rearview mirror.
Starting pitcher Corbin Burnes was cruising, a two-run home run the only damage against him as the Arizona offense built a four-run lead through seven innings. Then the bullpen door swung open and everything changed.
The Pirates, who were winless when trailing after seven innings this year, rallied for seven runs in the eighth inning to stun the Diamondbacks, 9-6, on Tuesday night at Chase Field.
It was yet another reminder, in a season filled with them to this point, that nothing comes easy for this team this year.
“You think that the game is well in hand, but that's the beauty of what goes on at this level,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “It happened really fast. Things change quickly, and you got to give them credit. They took advantage of some very poor relief pitching. We got to wake up tomorrow and find a way to win a series.”
They will have to do so facing one of the game’s top pitchers in Paul Skenes. But for now they have to find a way to put this loss behind them.
Not only did Pittsburgh erase an 0-29 mark when trailing through seven, but it also erased an early 6-0 deficit Tuesday. Henry Davis’ two-run homer off Burnes in the sixth inning seemed innocuous enough. Then came trouble after Burnes’ workday was done.
Yes, the finger points to the bullpen with Kevin Ginkel and Jalen Beeks unable to get the job done in the eighth, but there’s plenty of blame to go around.
The offense did a nice job building a lead. But after Josh Naylor’s RBI single capped a five-run fourth inning, the Diamondbacks did not put another runner on base the rest of the game, with Pittsburgh pitchers retiring the final 17 batters.
“Once in a while, I think this team is a little bit reactive, and I want them to be more proactive and keep their foot on the throttle,” Lovullo said. “I believe our hitters can beat anybody at any time. So we got to keep after it.”
Burnes had thrown 103 pitches across seven innings when Lovullo brought in Ginkel to open the eighth. The right-hander immediately found himself in trouble, retiring just one of the six batters he faced. By the time Lovullo relieved him, five runs had scored and the game was tied with a runner on second.
Asked after the game if he wished he had taken Ginkel out before he finally did, Lovullo said he was waiting to bring the left-handed Beeks in to face the left-handed-hitting Oneil Cruz.
“I've been doing it a long time with Kevin, and I respect what your question is, but I wanted to give him a chance as one of our more counted on positive-role relievers to give him that opportunity to work through that,” Lovullo said.
When Beeks did come in to face Cruz, he got him to hit a grounder to short, but a throwing error by Geraldo Perdomo allowed Cruz to reach. Bryan Reynolds followed with a three-run homer to put the Pirates up, 9-6.
It was a stunning turn of events that brought a chorus of boos from the fans.
“You turn it over to a bullpen with what you feel like is very favorable matchups, and they just didn't execute,” Lovullo said. “They didn't get it done. I think in the areas that we can improve upon in that bullpen -- when you get into certain counts, don't let the count linger, go out there with your best stuff and finish off hitters and continue to pound the zone with your best stuff.
“We just made mistakes out over the plate. We couldn't throw strikes in certain counts when we needed to, and that resulted in a big number that ended up costing us the game.”