Arizona Diamondbacks sweep Chicago Cubs in pivotal series
The grounder bounced slowly toward Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson in the first inning on Sunday evening, and by the time he gloved the ball and hurriedly shuffled it to second, the Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll had already beaten the throw.
Not only did the play help fuel a three-run first inning for the Diamondbacks in their eventual 6-2 victory, it seemed to encapsulate all that went right for them — and all that went wrong for the Cubs — over the previous three days.
If there was a play to be made, a key pitch to be thrown — if there was a chance to rise to the occasion — it felt like the Diamondbacks were the ones to seize the moment. And the Cubs were the ones left on their heels.
The Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte had two hits, including a key two-run homer. Four relievers combined for 5 2/3 shutout innings. And for the sixth time in the past seven days, the Diamondbacks beat the Cubs, their win on Sunday giving them their first series sweep of at least three games since June.
“Just incredibly proud of the guys,” first baseman Christian Walker said. “We knew coming into it that it was going to be a big series. It’s one thing to talk about how important a series is going to be. It’s another thing to show up and execute and lay it on the line.”
It could not have come at a better time.
The Diamondbacks entered the weekend reeling from an ugly series at Citi Field in New York. The previous weekend, they had beaten up this same Cubs team, but they had managed to undo all they accomplished at Wrigley Field by dropping the final three games to the Mets later in the week.
As it turns out, the Cubs were again the perfect antidote to their struggles. The Diamondbacks cruised to wins on Friday and Sunday. On Saturday, they battled through a 13-inning marathon to come away with perhaps their best win of the year — maybe even their best win in years, plural. In the process, they again managed to drastically recalibrate their postseason chances.
When the weekend began, the Diamondbacks were percentage points out of the third and final wild-card spot in the National League. But when they left the park on Sunday, they were not only in possession of a playoff spot, they had leapfrogged the Cubs for the second wild card.
With 11 games to go, the Diamondbacks, at 79-72, have a half-game lead on a playoff spot.
It was hard not to see this as the Diamondbacks’ best series of the year, a performance made even more impressive by the fact that none of the games were started by Zac Gallen or Merrill Kelly.
“I think so, yeah,” Marte said. “Sweeping the Cubs is never easy, but we’ve got a good team here. The pitching has been very good. And we’ve been playing good defense. We’ve been doing everything together — playing hard, having fun, doing the little things. When your team does the little things, you’re going to be great.”
By beating Swanson to the bag in the first, Carroll’s speed had helped load the bases for the Diamondbacks with nobody out. They proceeded to cash that scoring opportunity in to take a 3-0 lead. Marte blasted a two-run shot in the sixth to turn a 3-2 lead into a 5-2 lead, and Jace Peterson gave them another insurance run with a run-scoring double in the seventh.
For the third consecutive day, manager Torey Lovullo managed his pitching staff like someone hellbent on winning today while worrying little about tomorrow. He went to get right-hander Brandon Pfaadt early on Friday despite a dominant performance, but over the next two days he lifted his starter in the middle innings after the first sign of shakiness.
On Sunday, right-hander Ryne Nelson worked out of a tight spot in the third, then was out of the game two batters into the fourth despite a pitch count of only 75.
“It doesn’t mean I don’t believe in people,” Lovullo said. “It just means I’ve got a script that’s going a different direction other than you sometimes. The starting pitcher is going to get chapped a little bit, but at the end of it we all want to win. I think that’s all I have in mind.”
For the second day in a row, the Diamondbacks’ much-maligned bullpen came through again, this time with Luis Frias, Miguel Castro, Ryan Thompson and Bryce Jarvis combining to allow just three baserunners over the final 5 2/3 innings.
On the whole, the evening was an impressive performance for a Diamondbacks team getting its first ESPN Sunday Night Baseball exposure in five years.
“I think people know when they walk into this venue that they’re going to be at their best to beat us,” Lovullo said. “I think the country saw that a little bit today.”
In recent weeks, the Diamondbacks have watched the playoff picture shift dramatically every few days. Some seem to handle the emotional rollercoaster better than others.
“You feel it,” Lovullo said. “Highs and lows. But that’s how we’re raised in this game. We are absolute adrenaline junkies. We get lower than you can ever imagine, we get higher than you can ever imagine, based on wins, losses and outcomes. So we’re conditioned for it. But it doesn’t make it easy.”
Said Walker: “We’re aware of it, but letting it affect how we feel too much is just not a recipe for success. Coming off this series, we’re feeling good. We’re flying high. It’s like, channel that, but also lock it back in for (the next series) because every game is important.”
After an off day on Monday, the Diamondbacks will open a two-game set with the San Francisco Giants, one of the five teams with a shot at the final two wild-card spots.
“We’ve got to put our hardhats back on and get after it,” Lovullo said. “The Giants are coming to town. They’re a team that’s doing the same thing we are and I know our team will be ready to go.”
—Nick Piecoro
Injury news: Diamondbacks pitcher Drey Jameson to undergo Tommy John surgery
Cubs at Diamondbacks, 4:10 p.m., Chase Field
Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (7-8, 5.53) vs. Cubs LHP Jordan Wicks (3-0, 1.99).
Nelson was hit hard by the Mets on Tuesday in New York, giving up six runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. He served up a pair of home runs. … In his previous start, he faced this same Cubs team and threw well, giving up one run in 5 2/3 innings with two walks and three strikeouts. … Wicks has made four starts since getting called up and has pitched well each time, giving up one run in three of them and going at least five innings in each. … Most recently, he gave up one run in six innings against the Rockies at Coors Field. … He throws his change-up roughly a third of the time and gets whiffs on about a third of the swings it elicits.
Coming up
Monday: Off.
Tuesday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (15-8, 3.50) vs. Giants TBA.
Wednesday: At Chase Field, 12:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (11-7, 3.45) vs. Giants RHP Logan Webb (10-12, 3.31).
Thursday: Off.
Friday: At New York, 4:05 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (2-8, 5.86) vs. Yankees TBA.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks sweep Cubs, hold second National League Wild Card spot
