Diamondbacks 5, Royals 4
PHOENIX, Apr. 24 — They had one extra-base hit, gave up ten hits, grounded into two more double plays than their opponents, scored the go-ahead run on a throw that hit the diving runner in the ribs, and had a relief pitcher catch a ninth-inning foul popup on the warning track, but the Arizona Diamondbacks gritted out a messy 5–4 victory over the Kansas City Royals Monday night.
That relief pitcher was Andrew Chafin, who salvaged the win after receiving a blown save in the top of the eighth. Manager Torey Lovullo “didn’t love” Chafin calling off first baseman Christian Walker and catcher Gabriel Moreno to snag the foul ball. “In fact, I don’t love it at all, but he caught the ball, so I’ll take the out,” Lovullo said. Walker, however, surprised reporters by telling them that he “felt real comfortable” with Chafin motoring to the track to make the catch. “That guy power-shags in the outfield every day,” Walker said with a smile.
“It’s been my dream to make a Top Ten play,” the always jovial Chafin told reporters. “Obviously, that’s not even close. But I’m always ready to jump off the mound and try to make a play. (Walker) was playing deep…I saw that when I came set before the pitch. He was way back and would be coming in full speed at the rail. I’m just trying to look out for him so he doesn’t have to fall into the dugout trying to catch it.”
Royals Take Early Lead, Diamondbacks Respond
The Royals took an early 1–0 lead off starter Tommy Henry on a one-out homer by left fielder Edward Olivares in the top of the first. In the bottom of the second, while facing Royals starter Brad Keller, the Diamondbacks turned a leadoff walk by designated hitter Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and single to right by first baseman Pavin Smith into a 2–1 lead. Moreno followed the Smith single with a strikeout that concluded with a wild pitch on the third strike, advancing the runners to second and third. Center fielder Alek Thomas brought Gurriel home on a sacrifice fly to right, advancing Smith to third. McCarthy walked, putting runners on the corners for shortstop Geraldo Perdomo. His infield single brought Smith in for the second run.
The Royals tied it up in the top of the third on a double to right by first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and follow-up single by catcher Salvador Perez. A pair of walks in the bottom of the third — a leadoff walk by left fielder Corbin Carroll and one-out walk by designated hitter Lourdes Gurriel Jr. — allowed the Diamondbacks to retake the lead. Carroll scored on a single to right by Smith, while Gurriel — who went first to third on the single — scored on a groundout to third by Moreno.
The Royals made the score 4–3 by scoring one more off Henry. However, it was a runner bequeathed to left-handed reliever Kyle Nelson. Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. led off with a walk but was picked off. Left fielder Edward Olivares followed with a walk, ending Henry’s evening. A single by Pasquantino and double by Perez teamed to plate Olivares.
“Tommy was just okay,” Lovullo said. “He didn’t necessarily show great command. And he was just grinding it out into that fifth inning.”
The Crazy Eighth
The score remained 4–3 until the top of the eighth. Reliever Miguel Castro, who entered the game and recorded the last out of the top of the seventh on one pitch, retired designated hitter Franmil Reyes before coughing up a single to center by second baseman Michael Massey. In came Chafin to pitch to pinch-hitter Nicky Lopez. A walk by Lopez and single to right by right fielder Kyle Isbel scored Massey for the tying run.
The Royals tapped veteran left-handed fireballer Aroldis Chapman — nicknamed The Cuban Missile — to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Chapman entered the game with eight appearances, all scoreless. Opponents were slashing .077/.143/.115 against him. With one out, Walker — pinch-hitting for Smith — drew a five-pitch walk. Moreno lined a single to right-center, allowing Walker to hustle his way to third. That brought up Nick Ahmed, pinch-hitting for Thomas. He dinked a 1–2 slider off the knuckles toward the right side of an in-on-the-corners infield. Somehow the ball stayed fair. A charging Pasquantino fired home, where Walker was diving in. The throw, wide of Perez, hit Walker in the left ribs and rolled to the backstop. Moreno reached third on the play, with Ahmed taking second and the Diamondbacks taking a 4–3 lead.
The Ninth
Chafin, who threw 15 pitches in the eighth, returned to the mound for the ninth. Olivares led off with the aforementioned foul out. Pasquantino singled to center, making himself 3-for-4 on the day with a walk and a run scored. Freddy Fermin came out to pinch-run. Chafin struck out Perez, bringing up Reyes. A wild pitch to the backstop a la Nuke LaLoosh from Bull Durham advanced Fermin to second. On 1–2, Chafin tried unsuccessfully to get Reyes to chase a slider in the dirt. He did it again on 2–2 to no avail, Moreno blocking both. With the count full, another low slider — one that avoided the dirt — got Reyes to bite. A swing and a miss fanned Reyes for the final out.
“I had a lefty on deck and first base open — I was gonna bury that last one,” Chafin told reporters about the last pitch. “If he swung, sweet. If not, I’ll go right after the lefty (Massey). I felt like it was the best business decision at that point in time.”
“A Win Is a Win”
“It wasn’t the cleanest game, but it was a win,” Lovullo said. “Any win is a good win. There were some good moments and some learning moments. We’ll hammer away at those moments where we can pull the guys aside, talk about how they can address a couple of things, and get a little better for their next days.”
Later he called it a good effort in “a game that really didn’t have any rhythm.” He added, “It was one of those awkward days where it was a bumpy road for both teams. And like I said, a win is a win.”
Walker told reporters, “We’re not gonna score 10 every game and throw a no-hitter. So to win these tweeners where we feel like we have the chance to win but it’s a matter of executing and holding them off for one more inning…. For me, these are the games where you look back and end up being proud of the season. These are the wins that need to happen.”
Quick Hits
The game attendance — 9,815 — was, outside of restriction-laden 2021, the third lowest in the history of Chase Field. Two 2022 games against the Miami Marlins were lower — May 11 (9,058) and May 10 (8,855). These three games are the only ones (other than 2021) in Chase Field history that failed to draw at least 10,000 fans. … Perez and Massey both had multi-hit games for the Royals in the loss. Perez went 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Massey went 2-for-4 with a run scored. … Perdomo and Smith also had multiple hits for the Diamondbacks. Perdomo was 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Smith was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Looking Ahead
Chafin (2–0) earned the win while Chapman (0–1) took the loss, both in relief. Game Two between the Diamondbacks (13–11, first in NL West) and Royals (5–18, fifth in AL Central) is Tuesday evening. Righty Brady Singer (1–2, 8.14 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Royals against Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson (1–0, 4.91 ERA). First pitch will be at 6:40 pm Arizona Time.
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