Postgame Recap (7/28/17) – D-backs 0, Cardinals 1: Just One of Those Games
It was a night for pitching, on both sides. Robbie Ray was just settling in to the game when a 108-mph line drive hit him on the side of the head in the bottom of the 2nd inning. It was a hold-your-breath moment. Ray would eventually be carted off the field and brought to the hospital, where a CT scan came back normal. A big sigh of relief there for a guy who’s been having one heck of a season.
T.J. McFarland came on in relief of Ray. He held the Cardinals to three hits over his 3 2/3 innings. Tommy Pham scored for the Cardinals in the bottom of the 6th inning on a single by Jedd Gyorko. Pham had reached base on a fielding error by Daniel Descalso. He then stole second base to move into scoring position. On a night where McFarland pitched as well as you could hope, it was an unfortunate way to have the winning run score.
It looked like the Diamondbacks would break through and score in the top of the 8th inning off reliever Brett Cecil. Ketel Marte opened the inning with a single, followed by Daniel Descalso who doubled. There were runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs and heart of the order due up for the D-backs. On came reliever Trevor Rosenthal.
A.J. Pollock only needed to hit a fly ball to score a run but instead struck out swinging. The next batter, David Peralta, hit a soft ground ball that was fielded by the drawn-in infield. Ketel Marte attempted to score but was thrown out at the plate on a close call. With runners on first and third, Paul Goldschmidt struck out to end the threat.
Stats that matter
- McFarland, Rubby De La Rosa and Andrew Chafin were phenomenal in relief – 6.1 IP, 1 R, 7 H, 1 BB, 3 K
- The D-backs could not come through with runner’s in scoring position – 1-for-8 with RISP
- D-backs two-through-five batters struggled – 2-for-15, 1 BB, 4 K
Bottom line
Both sides pitched a great game and in the end it was an error that allowed the scoring run to cross the plate. Not the way you want to lose a game like this but one heck of an effort by the D-backs bullpen. It was just one of those games where the D-backs were unable to string together more than two hits.
On deck
Game three of the four-game series is set for Saturday at 4:15 pm MT. Zack Greinke takes the mound for the D-backs seeking his team-leading 13th win on the season.
