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Diamondbacks win 13th straight but fall short of rarely challenged MLB record

The Arizona Diamondbacks ran their winning streak to a franchise-record 13 games on Wednesday, topping the Dodgers 3-1 in Los Angeles. The win was the D-Backs sixth straight against the previously unbeatable Dodgers. It also further cemented their place atop the National League’s wildcard standings, where they now lead the Rockies by 7 1/2 games.

What some people might not realize though is that with a slightly better start on Wednesday night, the D-Backs could have cemented their place in the MLB record books as well.

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The D-Backs fell behind the Dodgers 1-0 in the first inning on Clay Bellinger’s run-scoring ground out. That marked the first time Arizona had trailed in a game since Aug. 25, which according to the Elias Sports Bureau covered a span of 97 innings.

That’s right, Arizona went 12 days and nearly 11 full games innings wise without trailing.

The Diamondbacks slid by the Dodgers for their 13th straight win on Wednesday, but still missed out on an MLB record. (Getty Images)
The Diamondbacks slid by the Dodgers for their 13th straight win on Wednesday, but still missed out on an MLB record. (Getty Images)

There had been some debate over how long the streak actually was and where it ranked all-time. Between Tuesday and Wednesday’s games, Elias went to work and determined 97 innings to be Arizona’s number entering play in this game, and 100 as the record established by the 1942 New York Yankees.

All the D-Backs needed was another four innings tied or with the lead to break the record, but instead they’ll settle for second best.

It’s not a record we think about often because it’s not a record that’s challenged very often. It takes an absurd hot streak like the one Arizona is currently on to even get in that ballpark.

The crazy thing is Arizona likely would have blown past the record if not for that single Dodgers run in the first inning. In the very next inning, the D-Backs tied the game on pitcher Taijuan Walker’s RBI double. They would never trail again, holding on to win behind Adam Rosales’ go-ahead double and some excellent pitching.

In the end, it wasn’t a record, but it was a pretty cool first for the D-Backs. It’s the first time in franchise history that they have swept four consecutive series.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!