D-BACKS DOWN D.C.
In a game rife with back-and-forth action, it was Diamondbacks outfielder Adam Jones who got the last laugh on Sunday.
Jones collected his third and fourth RBIs of the afternoon when he hit a two-out single to score Tim Locastro and Ketel Marte, putting the Diamondbacks ahead for good, in the bottom of the seventh inning.
“I felt an emotional swing when Adam Jones got that base hit with two outs,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We pivoted several times and gave up leads but our guys kept fighting back. That’s what I’m going to think about most throughout this game.”
Nationals reliever Wander Suero was summoned in a 5-5 game and promptly hit Locastro with a pitch and allowed a single to Marte before getting Eduardo
Escobar and Christian Walker for outs.
It was up to Jones, who, after taking a first-pitch cutter for strike one, swung at another even further outside to help the Diamondbacks (56-56) along to a 7-5 victory.
“We’ve been grinding,” Lovullo said, “but (Jones) is always emotionally ready and ready for those moments. It was a good moment for him and this ball club.”
The back-and-forth started early when the Nationals took a 2-0 lead in the second thanks to a two-run home run from former Diamondbacks outfielder Gerardo Parra. But Arizona quickly answered in the bottom of the inning when Jones doubled home Walker and Nick Ahmed scored Jones and Wilmer Flores.
The Diamondbacks took a 4-2 lead when Ketel Marte hit an inside-thepark home run — the second of his career and the 17th in club history — but were soon met with a solo home run by Nationals second baseman Brian Dozier in the fourth.
Right-hander Taylor Clarke recorded the first two outs in the sixth inning but was pulled in favor of southpaw Andrew Chafin to face left-handed slugger Matt Adams, who singled.
Then it was handed off to right-hander Yoan Lopez, who allowed a two-out single to Dozier and promptly walked both Parra and Gomes (intentional) while the tying run scored on a passed ball. However, Lopez would force pitcher Patrick Corbin — who was surprisingly left in the game to hit — to ground out and end the inning.
Jones doubled home Walker in the bottom of the sixth to give the Diamondbacks a 5-4 lead but the Arizona bullpen would find itself in trouble again to start the seventh.
Right-hander Yoshihisa Hirano entered the game and allowed a leadoff single to Trea Turner before Anthony Rendon scored him two batters later to make it a 5-5 game. However, after walking Juan Soto, Hirano struck out both Adams and Dozier to strand a pair of runners and maintain the tie.
That Hirano bent and did not break in the top of the inning was just enough for the Diamondbacks to deliver the final blow in the bottom half.
“I got a good pitch to hit and I was just trying to come through for my team,” Jones said. “Marte got in scoring position because they didn’t throw through (on a stolen bass) and I was able to come through for my guys.”
Right-hander Archie Bradley took over in the eighth inning and notched a two-out save while allowing just one baserunner.
Other members of the Diamondbacks bullpen were giving Bradley grief as the media crowded around him, a playful nod to his recent success amid a season full of struggles.
"It felt really good," Bradley said. "With the way we battled, back and forth, and then to regain the lead in the seventh, ... I just wanted to come in and shut it down. We fought hard today. We win the series and hopefully are on the way to winning some more.
Overall, Bradley's outing was an outlier of drama-free baseball in a tumultuous series finale.
“I think it was a good baseball game to watch as a fan,” Jones said. “Teams going back and forth. Not getting down on themselves because they allowed a few runs. As a fan, that would be a great game to watch.”