Hill's 14th-inning single caps trio of walk-offs

PHOENIX -- For the third straight game, the D-backs walked off with a win over the Orioles.

This one just took a bit longer than the others.

Aaron Hill was the hero this time as he singled up the middle to score Gerardo Parra with the game-winner in the 14th inning Wednesday afternoon, as the D-backs completed a three-game sweep with a 5-4 win.

"It's what we do," D-backs manager Kirk Gibson said.

It certainly appears that way.

The D-backs have now won 10 games in walk-off fashion and they are 27-15 in one-run games, the most in the Majors. Their 26 wins in their final at-bat also leads the Majors, and they have recorded 35 come-from-behind victories.

"It's been like that all year, guys have been battling until the end and luckily we were on top today," Hill said.

While the D-backs have been treading water for the last couple of months, the surging Dodgers have leapfrogged them in the standings. Though the last three days haven't changed that fact, it has energized the Arizona clubhouse.

"These three games are bringing the confidence a little bit up," Martin Prado said. "We were a little bit down, but actually we're starting to believe we can do this, keep battling until the end."

Meanwhile, the games have had the opposite effect on the Orioles.

"We've had some tough ones before and we will again," Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. "It's part of the job description. Yeah, we're a little beat up, but no one is going to feel sorry for you."

The O's were out of relievers and turned to starter Bud Norris, who was scheduled to start Saturday, to begin the 14th. Norris walked the first two hitters of the inning on eight pitches before striking out Paul Goldschmidt to set the stage for Hill.

Goldschmidt had tied Tuesday night's game with a homer in the ninth and then won it in the 11th with another homer.

Was Hill surprised Goldschmidt didn't get the job done this time?

"Yeah," Hill said with a smile. "The whole crowd was like, 'Awww.' He's done it enough this year it's time for someone else, right?"

After fouling off a fastball to start the at-bat, Hill hit 95-mph heater back up the middle for the game-winner.

"Bud's got great stuff," Hill said. "I know he's been pitching well and he's been locating a little better than in the past. So for me it was just get the ball up and see if I can get something I can drive, and I got a fastball middle-away and put a good swing on it."

Norris declined comment following the game.

It was Hill who sent the game into extra innings in the first place.

The D-backs trailed, 4-3, heading into the ninth before Parra started the game-tying rally with a leadoff double to left field off Baltimore closer Jim Johnson. After Prado bunted into an out, the Orioles intentionally walked Goldschmidt to put runners on first and second.

Hill followed with a line-drive single to left that scored Parra with the tying run as Goldschmidt scampered to third. Johnson, though, retired Matt Davidson and Tuffy Gosewisch to send the game into extra innings.

Neither team could score until the 14th.

"Everybody was tired and we just kept going and kept going," Prado said.

Both teams used 21 players, but the D-backs were in better shape towards the end. Showalter was out of pitchers, while Gibson still had a pair of relievers -- Eury De La Rosa and Chaz Roe -- available to pitch.

All four of the Orioles runs came in the second inning off starter Patrick Corbin, including two on a homer by Manny Machado.

"The one mistake was the changeup up for the homer," Corbin said. "I just wanted to go out there and throw up some zeros and see how many innings I could go and try to stay in the ballgame as long as I could."

Corbin wound up going seven innings before turning things over to the bullpen. Meanwhile, the D-backs continued to chip away as the Baltimore bullpen blew its third save of the series.

"The Diamondbacks are fighting for their lives, too, in the playoff race, so you tip your caps," Orioles outfielder Adam Jones said. "They came back on us, can't do anything about that."