The Arizona Diamondbacks beat up once again on one of their main competitors for a playoff spot, blasting the San Francisco Giants, 8-4, on Tuesday night at Chase Field for their fourth consecutive win.
After falling behind, 2-0, after a half inning, the Diamondbacks scored eight times in the next five innings, including four runs in the second inning when they took the lead for good.
Ketel Marte had four hits and a walk; Corbin Carroll delivered a pair of important hits in the first two innings; and the Diamondbacks’ bullpen had yet another dominant night, picking up the slack after a lackluster start from Zac Gallen.
In improving to 80-72, the Diamondbacks managed keep pace with the Chicago Cubs (79-72) and Miami Marlins (79-73), both of whom also won, while gaining a game on the Cincinnati Reds (79-74), who lost. The Diamondbacks are a half-game up on the Cubs for the second wild-card spot and a full game ahead of the Marlins, who are on the outside looking in at the playoff picture.
Gallen gave up four runs in five innings, laboring through a 36-pitch fifth. Four Diamondbacks relievers each tossed hitless, scoreless innings, including the club’s top leverage relievers, Kevin Ginkel and closer Paul Sewald, who worked the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
All four wins on the Diamondbacks’ current streak came against contenders. They play one more against the Giants before departing for a six-game road trip to face the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox.
—Nick Piecoro
NL Wild Card standings, odds, schedule:DBacks, Cubs, Reds, Marlins, Giants in close race
Gallen struggles again but Diamondbacks still lead
Thanks to an explosive offensive day, the Diamondbacks still lead the Giants, 8-4, after five innings. They did not, though, get an encouraging performance from Zac Gallen.
Gallen’s day ended after he allowed two runs in the fifth inning. The frame could have been even worse, but Mike Yastrzemski narrowly missed a three-run home run foul down the right-field line that would have cut the Diamondbacks’ lead to 7-6. Gallen proceeded to walk Yastrzemski and the next batter, Wilmer Flores, to bring a run home before stranding the bases loaded with a strikeout of Joc Pederson.
Although Gallen did strike out six batters, he ended his day with four earned runs on six hits and three walks over five innings. In four of his last five starts, he has now allowed 21 runs over 20 2/3 innings. The outlier outing in that stretch was a nine-inning complete game shutout of the Cubs.
After Gallen’s day ended in the top of the fifth with the Diamondbacks leading, 7-4, they got an insurance run in the bottom half thanks to an Alek Thomas triple and a Gabriel Moreno sacrifice fly. Miguel Castro entered for Gallen to start the sixth.
—Theo Mackie
Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb departs with injury
With the Diamondbacks already leading, 5-2, the Giants lost their starting pitcher in the bottom of the third inning on Tuesday night as right-hander Alex Cobb walked off the mound with a trainer.
The specific injury is not yet known, but Cobb had been dealing with a left hip impingement in recent weeks and recently avoided a stint on the injured list by receiving a cortisone injection.
Cobb was not sharp through two innings, but he also was not aided by his defense, which melted down during the Diamondbacks’ four-run second inning.
Cobb was replaced by Giants left-hander Alex Wood.
—Nick Piecoro
Diamondbacks take lead over Giants with wild inning
The first inning Tuesday night could hardly have gone worse for the Diamondbacks. But thanks to a second inning that epitomized their brand of baseball, they lead the Giants, 5-2.
Leading off the game, Zac Gallen gave up a triple to LaMonte Wade Jr. that squirted past Corbin Carroll in right field. Wade came around to score on a sacrifice fly before Joc Pederson took Gallen deep on a curveball below the zone that did not appear to be a particularly bad pitch. The early struggles came as Gallen has allowed five or more runs in three of his last four starts.
In each of those three, the Diamondbacks lost. Tuesday could be different because of how their offense fought back.
Carroll and Ketel Marte led off the first with consecutive singles and Carroll came in to score on a Tommy Pham force out. Carroll was again at the center of everything in the second, hitting a two RBI double down the left field line. Ketel Marte then walked, putting runners on first and second. They executed a double steal when catcher Patrick Bailey’s throw bounced away from Wilmer Flores at third base. Carroll took home on the play and Flores sailed his throw to the plate, enabling Marte to score all the way from first.
—Theo Mackie
White Sox to hire DBacks’ Josh Barfield for high-ranking role
Arizona Diamondbacks farm director Josh Barfield has accepted a position as an assistant general manager with the Chicago White Sox, a source confirmed Tuesday afternoon.
Barfield has been with the Diamondbacks since 2015, moving from scouting to player development. He became the top assistant in player development in 2018, then took over the top job two years later.
Barfield will work under new White Sox General Manager Chris Getz.
Barfield’s departure was first reported by MLB.com.
The Diamondbacks do not yet have plans in place to replace Barfield.
—Nick Piecoro
Diamondbacks’ first round pick Tommy Troy undergoes procedure on foot
Shortstop Tommy Troy, the Diamondbacks’ first-round pick in this year’s draft and one of their top prospects, was wearing a boot on his left foot Tuesday when he met with reporters in the dugout at Chase Field.
Troy said he fractured the foot on a hit by pitch in March and made the injury a few weeks later when he rolled over the same foot. After playing on it all season, Troy got an operation last week. He is set to get his stitches removed in two weeks and expects to be back shortly after that to go through a full off-season of training.
“It was definitely bugging me a bit but still grinded through it, found ways to deal with it and find a way to win,” Troy said. “That’s what you gotta do.”
Playing through the injury at Stanford, Troy hit .394/.478/.699. After being selected No. 12 overall, he hit .271/.374/.469 in 27 games between the Arizona Complex League and High-A.
“It was everything I thought it was gonna be,” Troy said of his first taste of professional baseball. “It was just super fun. This is your job, this is what I get to do for a living. Everything I ever wanted.”
—Theo Mackie
Tuesday’s Diamondbacks-Giants pitching matchup
Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (15-8, 3.50) vs. Giants RHP Alex Cobb (7-6, 3.62).
Gallen was hit hard by the Mets in his most recent start, giving up seven runs (six earned) in five-plus innings in an outing at Citi Field last week. … Prior to that, he turned in perhaps the best start of his career, a three-hit shutout of the Cubs at Wrigley Field. … He has pitched pretty well against the Giants both times he has faced them, giving up a combined five runs in 13 2/3 innings. … Cobb gave up a pair of unearned runs in five innings against Cleveland in his most recent start. … He has faced the Diamondbacks twice this year, allowing three runs in 13 1/3 innings with three walks and seven strikeouts. … His curveball has been his best put-away pitch. He has induced whiffs on 31.4 percent of swings.
Coming up
Wednesday: At Chase Field, 12:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (11-7, 3.45) vs. Giants RHP Logan Webb (10-12, 3.31.
Thursday: Off.
Friday: At New York, 4:05 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (2-8, 5.86) vs. Yankees LHP Carlos Rodon (3-6, 5.90).
Saturday: At New York, 10:05 a.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zach Davies (2-5, 6.81) vs. Yankees TBA.
More DBacks:For Diamondbacks and Torey Lovullo, no room for error with starting rotation
What to know about the San Francisco Giants
Like the rest of the teams in the mix for the final wild-card spots, the Giants seem to alternate between looking like a viable contender and looking as if they have no business in the race. They looked like the latter over the weekend when they dropped three out of four to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, winning on Sunday to avoid a sweep — and only barely as they almost blew an 11-5 lead. They are 6-5 against the Diamondbacks this season. If they win one of these two games they will earn the tiebreaker against them. (The Diamondbacks already have lost the tiebreaker to Cincinnati and Miami, though they have it over the Cubs.) OF Mitch Haniger had a good day at the plate on Sunday, though he has not had good results since returning from injury in late August. Similarly, OF Michael Conforto came off the injured list last week and had a quiet series vs. the Rockies. Both teams are starting their top two starters in this series. Both teams also were off on Monday.
