Heading into Thursday, the Arizona Diamondbacks, one of Major League Baseball’s hottest teams, were riding high on a six-game winning streak. Fresh off sweeping the Colorado Rockies and taking three of four games from the Philadelphia Phillies, who are contending for the World Series, the D-Backs were in peak form.
However, their season-high streak came to a crushing end on Friday night in the series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. Corbin Carroll, the team’s standout performer, seemed to have extended the game with a clutch two-run, 389-foot homer in the bottom of the eighth inning, leveling the score at four. Carroll’s home run came off Pete Fairbanks, who had allowed just two homers in 44 games this season, making the game appear headed for extra innings.
The loss was sealed by an unfortunate mistake from Jake McCarthy, who mishandled a ball in centerfield. The error allowed Jonny DeLuca to score from first base on a single by Brandon Lowe, ending the game in dramatic fashion. McCarthy’s error, his first in his major league career, was a costly one.
The defeat stings even more considering the Diamondbacks’ strong defensive record this season, leading MLB with the fewest errors per game. The Rays, coming off a sweep by the Houston Astros, had struggled offensively, making the walk-off win all the more bittersweet for Arizona.
In the tight NL West race, this loss could prove costly, potentially affecting Arizona’s chances of securing a bye for the Wild Card Round versus having to fight through a best-of-three series for a spot in the NLDS. Coupled with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ win over the St. Louis Cardinals, the Diamondbacks fell further behind in the division standings.
The defeat is particularly hard to swallow given another stellar performance by Ryne Nelson. The 26-year-old right-hander, who has been consistently impressive, pitched six or more innings for the sixth time in his last eight starts. He allowed just one earned run on five hits while striking out six batters, showcasing his dominant fastball.