Diamondbacks end miserable July with comeback win over Giants

SAN FRANCISCO — Scott McGough was in control until he wasn’t. The 11th inning, even with its perilous one-run lead, had begun so smoothly. McGough struck out Joc Pederson looking, then got to two strikes on Blake Sabol. The automatic runner, Casey Schmitt, was standing idly on second base.

But when McGough spiked a splitter to Sabol, moving Schmitt to third base, he was suddenly back in the type of moment that has foiled the Diamondbacks time and time again over the past month. Anything — another wild pitch, a hit, a flyout or even a groundout — could have scored Schmitt and sent the Diamondbacks to a 12th inning or, worse, yet another loss.

Given how July has gone for the Diamondbacks and especially their bullpen, McGough could have shied away from his splitter in a full count. Instead, he went back to it, earning a whiff from Sabol. A batter later, the Diamondbacks pulled out the type of game they’ve formed a habit of losing, beating the Giants, 4-3.

On a day that began with the Diamondbacks trading for closer Paul Sewald — who will arrive in San Francisco on Tuesday — their current, beleaguered bullpen played a significant role in the win, even before McGough entered.

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“(The bullpen) went out there and just dialed it up,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “You're supposed to give up that run in extra innings. We did once and we didn't the second time and that's why we won the game. But our guys were just locked in and executing pitches.”

Kyle Nelson got four outs to bridge the gap from starter Ryne Nelson to the ninth, where Miguel Castro took over with a perfect frame. Kevin Ginkel allowed the automatic runner to score on a wild pitch in the 10th, but worked around that to prolong the game.

Ketel Marte took advantage, lining a full-count sinker into right-center field for a leadoff double that scored the automatic runner and gave the Diamondbacks a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

“It was cold,” Marte said. “But I was 0 for 4, I was just trying to move the runner, trying to hit the ball the other way and he threw me a fastball right down the middle, I put my best swing on it.”

It was, in many respects, the type of game that the Diamondbacks have repeatedly lost in their prolonged skid. The bullpen’s struggles have been the most glaring aspect of their miserable month, with a 6.37 ERA in July before Monday’s game. But the Diamondbacks have struggled on more mundane details, too, like defense and baserunning.

On Monday, they got contributions on both ends. Alek Thomas made a leaping catch at the wall to end the first inning and Marte made a diving play up the middle to get Kyle Nelson out of the seventh. Meanwhile, Corbin Carroll stole his 33rd base of the year to help set up a run that tied the game at two in the sixth.

“I think that's the reason why we won the game today and we weren't down 5-1 in the eighth inning,” Lovullo said. “We collected ourselves, we slowed the game down and executed at a very high level at the most critical time.”

That doesn’t mean the Diamondbacks played a perfect game. Their offense was listless through five innings, managing just an infield single and a walk. After two runs in the sixth, they returned to that form for three more innings in which they struck out seven times and did not reach base.

And although he worked 6 2/3 scoreless innings, Ryne Nelson struck out just one batter for the second straight start, which Lovullo attributed to a lack of effectiveness with his changeup. After showing considerable progress with a 26.1% whiff rate in five starts from June 10 to July 1, Nelson has now gotten whiffs on just 13.1% of swings over his past five starts. The former is an above-average rate; the latter would be the worst among qualified pitchers.

All of the above is concerning for the Diamondbacks. And one game, of course, does not constitute a turnaround.

But in a month that they finished at 8-16, they’ll take a win, any way it comes.

“I'm ready for this month to turn,” Lovullo said. “I think this whole team is.”

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks end miserable July with comeback win over Giants