SAN FRANCISCO -- On a day the D-backs’ front office made a statement by acquiring a top-shelf closer, the players went out and made one of their own by rallying for a 4-3 win over the Giants in 11 innings on a cool Monday night at Oracle Park.
Not long after Arizona players began reporting to the ballpark, news broke that the club had acquired closer Paul Sewald from the Mariners in exchange for infielders Josh Rojas and Ryan Bliss, along with outfielder Dominic Canzone.
The move filled one of the D-backs’ biggest needs and gave players a jolt of positivity because they saw that general manager Mike Hazen was going to do everything he could to find them reinforcements.
Arizona also moved to one game back of second-place San Francisco in the National League West race.
“This shows everybody outside of my office and outside of my conversations, exactly what [the front office] thinks of this team,” manager Torey Lovullo said of the deal. “I've already known that with the daily conversations that are happening, but if you're looking for a public statement, if you're looking for a public sign of support … that [clubhouse] knows how intense Mike is about making us better and helping us win games.”
It's been well documented just how much Arizona had been struggling. Losers in 18 of their past 26 games, the D-backs fell behind quickly when the Giants scored single runs in the third and fourth innings.
The D-backs tied things up with two runs in the sixth and that’s the way things stayed into extra innings.
The beleaguered bullpen performed admirably holding the Giants to one unearned run over 4 1/3 innings.
The lone run came in the 10th when, after the D-backs scored in the top half of the inning, the Giants tied things when Kevin Ginkel’s wild pitch allowed Brandon Crawford to score from third.
But when Arizona scored on Ketel Marte's ground-rule double in the top of the 11th, Scott McGough managed to hold San Francisco scoreless in the bottom half to earn the save. McGough is one of a host of relievers, including Ginkel, Miguel Castro and Andrew Chafin, who have gotten chances to close games this season.
Beginning Tuesday when Sewald is scheduled to arrive, the D-backs will have an established closer.
“I know Paul from before this,” McGough said. “Me and him have been friends for many, many years. Really excited to have him. I think he's going to be a great addition. He's a great clubhouse guy.
“So a really good move by the front office and we're all super stoked to have him. He’s going to be great.”
While the front office sent a message to the players, the way the D-backs players performed on Monday sent one to their manager.
“This was a dogfight,” Lovullo said. “This was a battle. And I'm so proud of this team, it’s unbelievable. We blocked out all the noise and we went out there after falling down a couple runs and won a baseball game in a very tough environment. This team is tough.”
The D-backs went 8-16 during the month of July. Tuesday at 3 p.m. MST is the Trade Deadline with the front office still busy working the phones. But it also marks the beginning of a new month.
“I'm ready for this month to turn,” Lovullo said. “I think this whole team is and we're looking forward to a fresh month, and just pushing in the right direction.”