PHOENIX -- “Why don’t we switch it up and do literally anything else?”
When closer Paul Sewald proposed a remedy for the D-backs’ rut in series openers last week, who could have known that his machinations would immediately pay dividends?
After a cross-country flight from New York that landed the club back in Arizona late Sunday night, players got to spend Monday morning with their families and there was no pregame on-field batting practice. But by the end of the night, there were certainly fireworks and flickering lights.
Pavin Smith sat on the bench for the first 8 1/2 innings before being tabbed to pinch-hit for veteran Eugenio Suárez in the bottom of the ninth. His first swing was the final one of the game as he rocketed a center-cut fastball just above the high center-field porch at Chase Field, walking off the Giants, 4-2.
“Yeah, that was pretty crazy, especially now that we got the lights flickering on and off and stuff,” Smith said. “It's definitely a surreal moment, [an] out-of-body experience coming around second.”
Smith had hit a pinch-hit homer in the Majors before (May 21, 2022). But a walk-off homer? That was uncharted territory not just while wearing a D-backs uniform, but when wearing any uniform.
“You sort of dream of [it] and you play it in your mind,” Smith said about his first-ever walk-off homer. “I mean, almost every day, if that situation comes up, I want to be able to do that.”
Using Baseball Reference’s leverage index that quantifies moments in the game at either low, medium or high situations, Smith seems uniquely fit for scenarios such as Monday -- he entered play with a .851 OPS in the game’s most heightened points (as opposed to his .688 mark in medium and .639 in low).
Smith hadn’t gotten into action since Thursday, and with the team having a de facto “show and go” Monday, he didn’t have the benefit of his usual pregame routine. So there had to be some secret to squaring up a 98.4 mph fastball, right?
“I got some velo reps in … like the fifth or sixth inning,” Smith said of taking cuts down in the tunnel. “Then right before bottom eight, I was hungry, so I had a banana. I think that’s going to be [part] of the routine now.”
Before Smith’s theatrics, left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. put the D-backs on the smiling side of the scoreboard via his 100th career homer. Arizona has gone 24-15 this season when scoring first, tying it with Philadelphia among all MLB clubs for the most times opening a game in front.
“I like the all-field approach,” manager Torey Lovullo said, “But slug is where it's at.”
The primary beneficiary of the early slug was starter Ryne Nelson, who worked a career-best 7 2/3 frames, pumping first-pitch strikes against 20 of 27 batters faced. His unusual final line of one strikeout and no walks (in addition to six hits and two runs allowed) led to him providing vital length on a night when the club was without three of their relievers.
Lovullo credited Nelson as the primary reason the D-backs were able to navigate a mid-game offensive malaise. But the right-hander -- who extended his streak without allowing a run in the first inning to 15 consecutive starts -- immediately deferred to his defense, who seemingly made one tremendous grab after another, beginning with Gurriel in the first, followed by Ketel Marte in the third and Blaze Alexander in the fourth.
“It was actually unbelievable,” Nelson said. “I've never been a part of anything like that, but it was fun. I caught myself after almost every inning walking down and giving somebody a high-five for making a really incredible play.”
The most scintillating may go to Alexander, who was starting his third consecutive game at a different position than the last. On a night of balanced contributions up and down the roster, Alexander was the lone member of the lineup to deliver a multihit night; both he and Lovullo cited an increased comfort over recent weeks as he acclimates to the speed of the big league game.
With shortstop Geraldo Perdomo headed to Triple-A Reno to continue his rehab assignment Wednesday and center fielder Alek Thomas approximately a week away from beginning his own rehab stint, playing time will begin to crunch for those on the fringes. But on Monday, the club got contributions up and down their 26-man group for a second straight stirring victory.
“The boys are hot,” said Alexander. “We're rolling.”