Wet conditions play in Arizona’s favor
D-Backs take lead as rain pours; game suspended
Cincinnati Reds reliever Lucas Sims held up a wet baseball and tossed it out of play. Given another, he discarded it, as well, then did the same with a third. The umpiring crew had chosen not to stop play; the Reds essentially refused to continue.
The decision for play to go on turned out to be a big one for the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park. With the rain intensifying in the eighth inning, the Diamondbacks’ offense went to work, seemingly taking advantage of the situation presented to it.
When the eighth inning began, the Diamondbacks trailed by a run. By the time the game entered a rain delay, they had taken a 5-4 lead. That was where it stood when officials chose to suspend the game about an hour later. Play will resume in the eighth inning on Wednesday at 2:10 p.m. (Arizona time), with the teams’ regularly scheduled game beginning no earlier than 3:40 p.m.
The Reds did not appear pleased about the way things played out. It was hard to blame them, but they also did not do themselves any favors with the way they pitched before the weather turned biblical.
Andrew Young started the eighth with a game-tying, solo home run. Then came a walk by Pavin Smith and a Kole Calhoun double to put men on second and third. That was the situation when Sims entered the game with one out.
Facing pinch-hitter Wyatt Mathisen, Sims’ second pitch, a curveball, clipped Mathisen on the arm, loading the bases and bringing Carson Kelly to the plate.
It was during that at-bat that the rain turned ugly. Sims got to two strikes on Kelly before the rain intensified. Sims struggled to find the strike zone on severthat
al pitches, missing badly, ultimately issuing a run-scoring, bases-loaded walk.
Moments later, Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart removed his face mask and screamed in the direction of second base and crew chief Jerry Meals. Barnhart appeared to be demanding the umpires call for a delay. Finally, they did, though it was
hard to tell if Sims’ rejection of three consecutive baseballs played a part in the decision.
Speaking with reporters shortly after the game was officially suspended, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said he was proud of his team for executing despite the conditions. Left unsaid was the Diamondbacks likely benefitted -- at least during the Kelly at-bat -- from the decision to play on.
“These conditions were more suited for Boomer Esiason, Ken Anderson and Cris Collinsworth,” Lovullo said, referencing a trio of Cincinnati Bengals players. “It was very uncomfortable.”
Reds manager David Bell did not speak with reporters after the game was suspended.
With the weather forecast calling for snow showers throughout the night, Lovullo believed the umpiring crew was hoping to get the game in before the worst arrived.
“I think the umpires always try to finish a batter or finish an inning and I think that’s what they were looking for,” Lovullo said. “The score was tied and we knew the game was going to be stopped and potentially suspended. It had the chance for that; I think in the back of your mind, I think everybody is preparing for that potential. I think they wanted it to end at a certain point, but it never got there.”
Before the weather interfered, righthander Zac Gallen worked into the sixth inning, but issued four walks, two of which turned into runs. Right-hander J.B. Bukauskas made his major league debut, getting a fly out on the lone batter he faced to escape a jam in the seventh inning.
Gallen said the Diamondbacks were disappointed to have to stop play in the middle of a rally, but glad they were leading, rather than trailing, when play stopped.
“I thought the offense was about to do some more damage,” Gallen said. “In that sense, yeah, I think a lot of guys were upset that we were about to get into a rhythm right there. We had them in a good spot to tack on some more. At the same time, a lot of guys were saying we’ll come back tomorrow and keep doing what we’re doing. We’ll go back to the hotel having a little bit of an easier sleep knowing that you’re up and have the bases loaded and ready to do some damage.”