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After 9 scoreless frames, Diamondbacks top Royals in extras shootout
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- After 9 scoreless frames, Diamondbacks top Royals in extras shootout
KANSAS CITY, MO — The Diamondbacks won a game despite not swinging the bats all that well. They won in part thanks to mistakes by their opposition. They won after a long night of travel and on a miserably hot and humid day.
Their 5-4 victory in 10 innings at Kauffman Stadium on Monday, Sept. 7, felt fitting, almost quintessential, for a Diamondbacks club that hasn't been convincingly good but has often been just a bit better than the team in the other dugout.
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"I feel like that's just been our mantra all year," reliever Taylor Clarke said. "Just keep it close and they'll get it done."
In a game that was scoreless for the first nine innings, the Diamondbacks exploded for five runs in the top of the 10th — then had to hold on for dear life in the bottom of the inning. They did, and in the process they inched closer to a playoff spot.
It was the Diamondbacks' third consecutive win. At 77-68, they are on pace for 86 wins despite having scored the same number of runs (641) as they have allowed. And that is enough to keep them a half-game ahead of the San Diego Padres for the final wild-card spot in the National League. The Padres beat the Washington Nationals Monday afternoon.
On Tuesday, Sept. 8, the Diamondbacks will welcome back right-hander Corbin Burnes from the injured list. The next day, they are expected to get back right-handers Michael Soroka and Zac Gallen , who are likely to pitch in some order in the series finale here.
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Most of the year, the club's pitching staff has been led by guys at the back end. Perhaps a return to health will allow the rotation to make up ground.
The offense, however, does not have reinforcements coming. It will have to find ways to score with what it has. It has managed to do just that over the past three days, and whether that continues could be the thing that determines whether the Diamondbacks' season extends into October.
Six days after their pitching staff turned a bullpen game into a shutout win over the Philadelphia Phillies , the Diamondbacks nearly did the same to the Royals. Right-handers Derek Law (two innings), Jose Cabrera (three innings) and Clarke (two innings) got through the first seven before Brandyn Garcia and Justin Martinez recorded three outs apiece.
During those first nine innings, the offense generated all of one at-bat with a runner in scoring position and a total of six baserunners. Royals lefty Noah Cameron , the reigning American League Pitcher of the Month, was sharp, but it was beginning to feel like yet another game in which the Diamondbacks' lineup would be to blame for a loss.
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Perhaps they had some excuses. Manager Torey Lovullo mentioned a possible letdown from an emotional series win in Houston the day before. He also noted that the team plane waited out thunderstorms by circling the Kansas City airport for more than an hour the night before. Then came the Monday afternoon game, which was played with temperatures in the mid-90s and a heat index of 100 degrees.
"We were sleepwalking a little bit," Lovullo said. "… But they woke up at the right time."
"It was tough," catcher Gabriel Moreno said, "but we've got to fight our body and our mind on those days."
The bats came to life in the 10th. Ildemaro Vargas ' bunt single to open the inning against Royals reliever Craig Kimbrel put runners on the corners, and Lars Nootbaar (sac fly) started the scoring, with Geraldo Perdomo , Moreno and Nolan Arenado following with run-scoring singles.
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"We just waited for our opportunity," Moreno said, "and we took advantage in the 10th."
The Royals made it interesting against reliever Gerardo Carrillo, scoring four times and putting the tying run in scoring position before right-hander Dennis Santana entered and got two quick outs to end the game.
It was far from the Royals' only scoring chance on the day. They left two men aboard in the fourth. They stranded the bases loaded in the fifth, an inning that included a botched safety squeeze attempt. They had the leadoff man on second in the sixth and again had a man in scoring position in the ninth.
"We hung in there," Lovullo said. "This team's tough. They want to win baseball games."
Geraldo Perdomo in lineup; Corbin Carroll gets day off
A day after being struck on the head by a line drive, shortstop Geraldo Perdomo is back in the Diamondbacks' lineup on Monday, Sept. 7. Meanwhile, right fielder Corbin Carroll is getting a rare day off as he continues to deal with lower back discomfort, manager Torey Lovullo said.
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While running the bases on Sunday, Sept. 6, in Houston, Perdomo was struck by a 93 mph liner off the bat of Ketel Marte . As Perdomo tried to duck out of the way, the ball seemed to hook in the same direction.
"I had nowhere to go," Perdomo said.
Lovullo said Perdomo never entered the concussion protocol.
"Didn't need to," Lovullo said. "He was just being monitored. Woke up today and felt great."
Lovullo said Carroll "needs a day off" after dealing for most of the past week with back discomfort.
"He's been grinding as hard as anybody," Lovullo said. "Nursing different things. I know that you guys probably saw him running the bases yesterday and there was a little bit of low back tightness. It just made sense to give him the day off.
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"I told him at some point I'll give him two or three innings in advance if I'm going to need him, but I'll try to give him the whole day off."
Veteran pitchers arrive as reinforcements in KC
Right-handers Corbin Burnes, Michael Soroka and Zac Gallen arrived in town on Sept. 6 to join the team, and all are scheduled to factor prominently in games here this week at Kauffman Stadium.
Burnes is expected to start on Tuesday night, Sept. 8, while Soroka and Gallen are likely to pitch on Wednesday, Sept. 9, though Lovullo would not say which of the two he planned to start.
After throwing three-plus innings and around 50 pitches in a minor league setting last week, Burnes likely will be capped around four innings and 65 pitches. Lovullo said Soroka and Gallen could potentially cover all nine innings on Sept. 9.
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Coming up
Tuesday, Sept. 8:At Kansas City, 4:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Corbin Burnes (3-2, 2.66)* vs. Royals RHP Michael Wacha (9-8, 3.36).
Wednesday, Sept. 9:At Kansas City, 4:40 p.m., Diamondbacks TBA vs. Royals LHP Daniel Lynch IV (4-5, 3.51).
Thursday, Sept. 10:Off.
Friday, Sept. 11:At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (9-13, 5.06) vs. Rangers RHP Jacob deGrom (10-9, 3.96).
* — Stats from 2025.
(This story has been updated to add information.)
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: After 9 scoreless frames, Diamondbacks top Royals in extras shootout
