Diamondbacks late offensive surge secures sweep over Marlins

“I felt like I wanted to build an inning and have the right resources on the bench if we needed to start to maneuver,” said Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo in his postgame breakdown on Dbacks TV. “I targeted certain things pregame that if we get to certain points, these were going to be the bench players that we’re going to fill in and it really worked out well. Gurriel had the huge three-run double. He’s a really good pinch-hitter, he goes up there engaged and it was a big moment for him.”

Even after taking the lead, the Diamondbacks continued to tack on against the Marlins’ bullpen. Geraldo Perdomo crushed a solo home run to the upper deck in the eighth and a couple of big hits in the ninth inning, including an RBI triple from backup catcher José Herrera, to take a 10-7 lead into the bottom half. It was a bumpy ride for Justin Martinez, but he was able to hold the lead with back-to-back strikeouts of Kyle Stowers and David Hensley to close out the sweep.

Montgomery stumbled again on the mound. Facing a lineup of exclusively right-handed hitters, the veteran left-hander continued to struggle. In 5 2/3 innings, he allowed six runs on 10 hits, walking one, and striking out four. It was not the type of start he needed in order to stay in the Diamondbacks rotation. Thanks to Gurriel’s big hit, he ended up spitting the hook for a loss.

The Marlins got to Montgomery immediately. Xavier Edwards reached on a swinging bunt single to third, then Jake Burger crushed a 90 MPH sinker that split the middle of the strike zone to put the Marlins up 2-0. He finished the first inning with a couple of strikeouts and appeared to have settled in.

However, trouble came knocking in the fifth. The Marlins sent nine men to the plate, as they ambushed Montgomery for four hits, with three going for extra bases. The big blow came from Cristian Pache, who entered the game batting .202 with a .552 OPS, crushing a two-run home run down the left field line to give Miami the lead. What was a 3-2 lead entering the frame became a 6-3 deficit. Despite that, he was able to get a couple of outs in the sixth inning, something that proved to be critical not only for the night but the upcoming series.

“I asked him to go back out there in the sixth, and I told him ‘Look, I need some outs in the sixth inning’ and he responded,” said Lovullo. “He gave us two outs. At that point, it was clear that he was going to grind for us and once again a team moment. It wasn’t a perfect day for him, I think there was a bit of frustration, but he made pitches and got into the sixth inning.”

The Diamondbacks had an early beat on Marlins starter Roddery Muñoz. They loaded the bases with one out against a pitcher who has struggled against left-handed hitters. Pavin Smith got an elevated changeup and drove Pache to the track to put Arizona on the board. What happened next was a very foolish baserunning decision by Josh Bell, trying to steal with two strikes and Adrian Del Castillo at the plate and getting thrown out by a mile.

Arizona would regain the lead in the third inning. Geraldo Perdomo led off the third with a double down the right field line. Jake McCarthy came up and got a slider to hit from Muñoz and crushed it to the upper deck to put the Diamondbacks up 3-2. The Diamondbacks got another scoring opportunity started against the right-hander in the fourth, leading to Marlins’ manager Skip Schumaker giving him the early hook. After struggling early against the Marlins bullpen, they were able to eventually break through late.

The Diamondbacks will travel to Boston to play the Red Sox over the weekend following an off day on Thursday. Right-hander Ryne Nelson (8-6, 4.35 ERA) looks to continue his impressive run for Arizona while right-hander Bryan Bello (11-5, 4.80 ERA) starts for Boston. First pitch at Fenway Park will be at 3:40 P.M. MST.