By the time Kerry Carpenter was rounding third base, Diamondbacks catcher Tucker Barnhart knew a play at the plate was inevitable. Everything had to be flawless.
- The Critical Play:
- Pavin Smith, alert to Carpenter’s line drive hitting the center field wall, backed up Corbin Carroll.
- Smith grabbed the ball and threw it towards the infield, where Kevin Newman was perfectly positioned.
- Newman then delivered a crucial throw to Barnhart, skipping it just right so Barnhart had ample time to catch and tag Carpenter out.
“If it wasn't on the money, the throw from Kevin, the play wouldn't have gone our way,” Barnhart said. “It was bang-bang. Whenever a situation like that comes up, you hope the throw is right on the money and it was.”
This pivotal moment preserved a 4-4 tie with two outs in the top of the seventh inning, thwarting Carpenter's potential go-ahead inside-the-park home run. Capitalizing on this momentum, the Diamondbacks scored twice in the bottom of the inning, leading to a 6-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday at Chase Field.
- Season's Fine Margins:
- The win highlighted how close the games have been for the Diamondbacks this season. Now at 22-25, it was their fourth consecutive Sunday avoiding a sweep.
- Manager Torey Lovullo reflected, “We're a tough team, we're a gritty team. And we know how important it is to not get swept.”
However, these nail-biting scenarios underscore another issue: the Diamondbacks frequently find themselves in such tight spots.
“I'd probably have a heart attack before our season's over if we keep this up,” Lovullo quipped.
The most recent tightrope walk was against the Detroit Tigers, a team whose struggles didn’t suggest such a challenging series. Despite entering the weekend off consecutive shutouts and being among the league’s 10 worst offenses, the Tigers pushed the Diamondbacks to their limits. On Sunday, after an early 3-0 lead, Arizona found themselves in a battle.
Left-hander Jordan Montgomery, usually a reliable part of the rotation since his mid-April debut, allowed a steady stream of runs following a third-inning home run from Spencer Torkelson. Montgomery ended with four earned runs over six-plus innings. While he’s been a solid, inning-eating presence, he hasn't replicated his dominant form from his time with the Rangers, holding a 4.98 ERA for the season.
The Diamondbacks’ offense stepped up in the fifth with another run, but the real breakthrough came in the seventh. With one out and runners on the corners, Pavin Smith hit a grounder to Javy Baez. The Tigers’ shortstop aimed to cut down Randal Grichuk at home, but his throw — unlike Newman’s earlier — bounced poorly in front of home plate. Catcher Jake Rogers tagged Grichuk but couldn’t hold onto the ball. The Diamondbacks added another run on a groundout, making Baez’s errant throw a two-run mistake.
In the end, those runs were decisive, showcasing just how crucial every play and throw can be in such a tightly contested season.
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