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    • DBacks Destroy Dodgers Behind 8-Run Second Inning
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    DBacks Destroy Dodgers Behind 8-Run Second Inning

    Vaseline Posted on

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    Shohei Ohtani barely flinched at the fastball, then immediately turned and headed back to the Los Angeles Dodgers dugout. He didn’t need to hear the call to know the pitch was a strike. For the third straight day, he was facing Diamondbacks left-hander Joe Mantiply in the middle of a game. And for the third time, Mantiply had struck out arguably the best hitter in baseball.

    Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo didn’t call Sunday a must-win game for his team, but he did call it a “very, very” important game. After the Diamondbacks beat the Dodgers 14-3, putting themselves in position to potentially salvage a four-game tie in Monday afternoon’s finale, relief was evident on Lovullo’s face.

    Lovullo felt they had to win on Sunday, and his decision to go to Mantiply in the sixth inning illustrated that.

    The score at that point was 9-3. The Diamondbacks had scored eight runs in the second inning against Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski in an inning that featured both a leadoff double and a three-run homer by designated hitter Randal Grichuk, two of the seven hits they collected in the inning.

    The outburst prompted Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to wave the white flag. Not only did he pull stars Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez from the game, prioritizing rest over an improbable comeback, but Roberts also stuck with Wrobleski into the sixth inning, making him a sacrificial lamb for his overtaxed bullpen.

    In other words, the game seemed all but over when Ohtani’s spot opened in the sixth inning. The Diamondbacks led by six. One runner was up, two were out. And Lovullo elected to go to Mantiply anyway.

    To be honest, it’s hard to blame him.

    Not only is Ohtani capable of hitting a ball out of the park at any given moment, but there are perhaps few pitchers in baseball better at stopping him than Mantiply. Ohtani’s sixth-inning strikeout marked the ninth time the two have faced each other in their careers, all at-bats this season. Ohtani is just 1 for 9 with a double.

    “I wanted to keep it at 9-3 because I didn’t want to go into our leverage relievers,” Lovullo said. “I was going to sacrifice Mantiply. He’s pitched three days in a row, he’s done it against this team before, and I felt like he was going to have success and make that big one, and we could … save some of the real, right now, back-end relievers.”

    Asked what he thinks is behind the success, Mantiply points first to his pitch. He steps slightly toward first base, giving him a crossfire motion. His arm angle is to the side. It gives him something all pitchers crave: deception. But Mantiply chose his words carefully, knowing he will likely see Ohtani a lot more in the future.

    “Luckily it went my way,” he said. “But this game can turn around very quickly, I know that for sure. The more you see someone, the better you have to be. Luckily I was able to take him out a few times. I’m just going to try to keep going with this.”

    Right now, Ohtani is the likely National League MVP, and if he wins, he’d be the first DH in either league to win the award. He has 44 homers, 43 steals, and an OPS approaching 1.000. And yet he looks like any other hitter when he goes up against Mantiply.

    “I feel like I haven’t necessarily made a lot of mistakes in the big spots,” Mantiply said. “I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of changing the order and mixing things up. Just try not to give him the same look too many times. A hitter like that, the more he sees you, the more likely he is to hurt you.”

    The Diamondbacks’ win moves them just five games behind the Dodgers in the division and puts them in step with the others in the wild-card race, including the Padres and Mets, both of whom also won. (The Braves were still playing on Sunday at the time of publication.)

    Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt surrendered three runs in 5 2/3 innings, striking out 10, and the Diamondbacks will send left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez to the mound Monday as they attempt to split the ball with Jack Flaherty, the Dodgers’ top trade deadline acquisition.

    Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Undergoes MRI of Left Calf

    Diamondbacks left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will undergo an MRI scan of his left calf after he appeared to experience discomfort while running to first base in the sixth inning.

    Gurriel appeared to favor his left leg as he approached first base, then slowly walked off the field. He was replaced by Jorge Barrosa early in the seventh.

    Lovullo said the club was still working out the exact date Gurriel would undergo the MRI, adding that the situation was complicated by Monday’s day off.

    Christian Walker is set to return from the injured list

    Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker, who has been nursing a left oblique muscle injury since late July, was scheduled to bat live at Salt River Fields on Saturday and may do so again on Monday. He may return from the injured list during the upcoming road trip.

    “We’re getting closer and closer to Christian,” manager Torey Lovullo said.

    Second baseman Ketel Marte also continues to make progress, though he appears to be slightly behind Walker in return. Marte, who is out with a sprained left ankle, has also been at bat but has not run out of the batter’s box, Lovullo said.

    “He’s making really good progress,” Lovullo said.

    Catcher Gabriel Moreno is hitting and has switched to catching drills, which Lovullo described as a “really good sign” as he recovers from an adductor injury in his left leg.

    Diamondbacks add Slade Cecconi, Jorge Barrosa

    With the roster expanded to 28 players on Sunday, the Diamondbacks added right-handed pitcher Slade Cecconi and outfielder Jorge Barrosa to their game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

    Cecconi gives them an extra arm for the bullpen. He has a 3.72 ERA (four earned runs in 9 2/3 innings) in seven games with Triple-A Reno since he was last ejected in mid-August.

    Barrosa provides a versatile bench option for manager Torey Lovullo. He’s a switch-hitter, has enough speed to be a pinch-running option and is seen as an excellent defensive outfielder.

    Monday’s pitching match-up between the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers

    Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 1:10 p.m., Cox, Ch. 34

    Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0, 5.06) vs. Dodgers RHP Jack Flaherty (10-6, 3.07).

    At Chase Field: Rodriguez allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Mets on Wednesday, with most of the damage done in a four-run fourth inning. … Rodriguez has made four starts since returning from the injured list, working at least five innings but no more than 5 2/3 innings in each. … Rodriguez saw his fastball velocity increase in his most recent start, averaging 92.1 mph. That was right around what he averaged last season with the Tigers. … Flaherty allowed three runs in six innings in a loss to Baltimore last week. He has made five starts since joining the Dodgers in a deadline deal, posting a 3.49 ERA with seven walks and 34 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings. … He faced the Diamondbacks in May, allowing two runs in six innings. The game was heated; both he and people in the Diamondbacks’ dugout were caught on camera yelling at each other. It’s not entirely clear what the problem was, but Flaherty kept finding a landing spot on the mound that was bothering RHP Zac Gallen.

    Coming Soon

    Tuesday: At San Francisco, 6:45 p.m., Diamondbacks Ryne Nelson (9-6, 4.22) vs. Giants LHP Kyle Harrison (7-6, 4.22).

    Wednesday: At San Francisco, 6:45 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (10-6, 3.87) vs. Giants RHP Hayden Birdsong (3-4, 5.14).

    Thursday: At San Francisco, 12:45 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (4-0, 4:30) vs. Giants LHP Blake Snell (2-3, 3.56).

    Vaseline
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