It might not be time for Arizona Diamondbacks' GM Kevin Towers to put away the Rolaids quite yet. After laboring tirelessly during the offseason to strengthen his bullpen and remedy anemic relief pitching that led the National League in blown saves last season, as well as most home runs allowed, newly minted closer Addison Reed gave up a two run blast to San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey in the top of the 9th inning, and the Giants won 9-8 in Monday night's opener at Chase Field in Phoenix. Another new addition to the Diamondbacks bullpen, southpaw Oliver Perez, as well as returning sidearmed setup man Brad Ziegler, also turned in less than impressive performances after coming on in relief when starter Brandon McCarthy encountered trouble in the top of the seventh while the Diamondbacks were holding on to a comfortable 7-3 lead.
Offensively, the Diamondbacks exploded for four runs in the bottom of the fourth, aided by two early Giants errors, ending starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner's night early. Left fielder Mark Trumbo led things off by hitting a grounder to first baseman Brandon Belt, but Belt bungled the ball, allowed Trumbo get on base and was charged with an error. The next Arizona batter, catcher Miguel Montero, grounded to San Francisco third baseman Pablo Sandoval. Sandoval attempted a forceout of Trumbo at second base, but his throwing error not only enabled Trumbo to reach second, but also Montero to reach first. Shortstop Chris Owings then singled to load the bases, and then right fielder Gerardo Parra smacked a base hit into right field, scoring both Trumbo and Montero to put the Diamondbacks up 2-1. Two batters later, with two out, second baseman Aaron Hill belted a double off the center field wall, allowing two more runs to score and putting the Diamondbacks in the drivers' seat. They then added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth off Giants' reliever Yusmeiro Petit, one on Trumbo's RBI single, and another on Parra's bases loaded RBI goundout.
Each team scored a run in the sixth. In the top half of the inning, Belt attempted to atone for his earlier defensive blunder by leading off with a solo home run. Overall, Belt finished the night three for five, also scoring three runs. The Diamondbacks responded in the bottom half as first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, last year's National League MVP runner up, led off with a single, stole second base, and scored on Trumbo's RBI single. Overall for the night, Goldschmidt went two for five and extended his hitting stresk to 22 games dating back to last season. Trumbo, acquired during the offseason from the Angels, finished three for five, scoring two runs of his own and driving in two more.
However, then came the top of the seventh. With two men out, McCarthy allowed a double to pinch hitter Ehire Adrianza, enabling left fielder Michael Morse to score from first base. Diamondbacks' manager Kirk Gibson then brought Perez on in relief, but McCarthy was livid because he felt he had struck Adrianza out looking on a 2-2 pitch down the middle of the plate, which would have ended the inning. However, home plate umpire Tom Hallion called it a ball, and Adrianza smacked his double on the very next pitch.
"There was a call there in the seventh that changed the entire outlook of the game," vented McCarthy. "That's a pitch that you're not rewarded for, so that kind of leaves a bitter taste . . . I did have him struck out, it just didn't get called."
In a truly disastrous Diamondbacks debut, Perez, signed as a costless agent in the middle of spring training, failed to record the third out despite three chances. Giants center fielder Angel Pagan ripped a double to left field, scoring Adrianza. After Belt singled to move Pagan to third, Sandoval singled, scoring Pagan and moving Belt to second. At that point, Gibson decided Perez was through, and turned to Ziegler with runners on first and second. Ziegler comenced his relief effort by giving up a single to Posey to load the bases, then wallking Giants right fielder Hunter Pence to bring in the tying run, thus fully erasing the Diamondbacks' four run lead.
After Josh Collmenter held the Giants scoreless in the top of the eighth, and Jean Machi did the same to the Diamondbacks in the bottom of the eighth, Gibson brought in Reed, slated as the Diamondbacks' closer, in the top of the ninth despite the game still being tied 7-7. With one out, Belt singled, and after Reed struck out Sandoval for the second out, Posey blasted his 453 foot, two run homer over the left field wall to break the tie.
The Diamondbacks mounted a formidable offensive effort in the bottom of the ninth off Giants closer Sergio Romo, who registered 38 saves in 2013. Montero led off the inning with a solo shot to cut the deficit to one run. Owings then beat out a bunt and advanced to second on Parra's sacrifice popout to Posey. Eric Chavez then came on to pinch hit in the pitcher's spot but struck out swinging, and then center fielder A.J. Pollock popped out to end the game and give Romo his first save of the season.
After the game, Gibson acknowledged the questionable non-call at the plate in the seventh inning, but at the same time, he said that the Diamondbacks untimately dropped the game because the bullpen simply couldn't put it away. He added that leaving 11 men on base didn't help things either, as the team batted only 6-for-19 with runners in scoring position.
"I know [McCarthy] wanted that call on Adrianza and we didn't get that call, but still you've got to get those outs," he said. "You expect to close the game down but we didn't do it."
The Diamondbacks fell to 0-3 on the season after also dropping two contests to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the season's opening series in Sydney, Australia. On Monday night, they failed to pull out a win on this side of the equator as well, on their own home field. Prior to Monday night's loss, the Diamondbacks had won their home opener seven straight seasons.
The two teams face off again on Tuesday night, with right-hander Matt Cain getting the start for the Giants and left-hander Wade Miley taking the mound for the Diamondbacks.
Casey Gagnon is the Managing Editor at VAVEL USA. Feel costless to follow him onTwitter, Facebook and Google+
