Arizona Diamondbacks bullpen allows Braves to pull away for win

Mike Foltynewicz went six strong innings to win again, Kurt Suzuki homered twice and the Atlanta Braves beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-3 on Tuesday night.

Suzuki’s two-run homer off reliever J.J. Hoover (1-1) broke a 2-2 tie and a throwing error by Arizona catcher Chris Iannetta allowed two more to score in a four-run seventh.

Suzuki and Johan Camargo hit consecutive homers off Andrew Chafin in the eighth. Matt Kemp also homered and tripled for Atlanta.

BOX SCORE: Braves 8, Diamondbacks 3

Foltynewicz (9-5) gave up two runs and five hits, striking out nine, to improve to 6-0 in his last nine starts.

Taijuan Walker held Atlanta hitless through three innings before the Braves got an unearned run in the fourth. Walker, who missed his previous outing for the birth of his first child, limited the Braves to two runs, one earned, in six innings and left in a 2-2 tie.

Walker also hit his first career home run.

– Associated Press

Braves add to lead

The Braves grew their lead in the eighth with back-to-back homers by catcher Kurt Suzuki and shortstop Johan Camargo. Atlanta led 8-2 entering the ninth.

Walker’s night done

Right-hander Taijuan Walker exited the game after the sixth, leaving after 92 pitches. He was pinch-hit for in the bottom half of the inning after a run-scoring double by shortstop Chris Owings tied it at 2, but that’s all the offense the Diamondbacks would manage in the inning.

In the top of the seventh, the Braves retook the lead on a two-run homer by catcher Kurt Suzuki off right-hander J.J. Hoover.

The Braves tacked on two more later in the inning to go up 6-2 on a throwing error by catcher Chris Iannetta after his pick-off attempt to third skidded into left field.

Walker goes deep

Atlanta starter Mike Foltynewicz has dominated the Arizona lineup with the exception of one hitter – pitcher Taijuan Walker. Leading off the bottom of the fifth, Walker turned on a 96 mph fastball from Foltynewicz and sent it 455 feet into the left-field stands for a solo homer and 1-1 tie.

It was Walker’s first career home and the first home run by any D-Backs pitcher since Robbie Ray went deep in June of last year.

The Braves responded in the top of the sixth, however, when Matt Kemp sent a two-out, solo homer just over the right-field fence for a 2-1 lead.

Walker, Foltynewicz stymying offenses

There’s an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel at Chase Field. The Diamondbacks and Braves are scoreless after three innings as starters Taijuan Walker and Mike Foltynewicz dominate.

Walker has pitched three hitless innings while Foltynewicz and his 99 mph fastball has allowed just two hits. 

Arizona got two runners on in the first and third innings but couldn’t come up with the big two-out hit. 

A.J. Pollock and, of all people, Walker, have the two hits for Arizona.

Greinke dominating at Chase 

Right-hander Zack Greinke has helped recalibrate the Diamondbacks on a number of occasions this season, swinging them back into the win column following a loss like an ace is expected to do.

And almost all of these momentum changes have happened at home, an impressive turnaround after Greinke’s ho-hum performance at Chase Field a year ago.

“I’ve seen some pitchers come in here from the opposing team and get really banged up – some very good pitchers come in here and get banged up,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “Zack has not allowed that to happen. He’s competing at a very elite level against major-league hitters in a very offensive environment. That’s what really stands out to me.”

After his latest steady showing, an eight-inning outing Monday in which he gave up only two runs in a lopsided 10-2 win over the Braves, Greinke improved to 10-0 at home in 12 starts.

He became the first Diamondbacks pitcher to start a season 10-0 at Chase Field and just the second pitcher in major-league history to go 10-0 or better over his first 12 home starts more than once; Greinke also accomplished the feat with the Brewers in 2011.

Since that season, Greinke had remained impressive at home – until 2016 when he was a mediocre 5-5 with a 4.81 ERA. His production at home in his debut season with the Diamondbacks was a far cry from the effectiveness he demonstrated the previous season with the Dodgers when he went 10-1 with a sparkling 1.46 ERA.

That disparity helped fuel some of the concern at the time about whether or not Greinke could live up to the hype of his six-year, $206.5 million contract, but he seems to have figured out how to adapt in Year 2.

“Everyone wanted him to duplicate (2015) last year and for a variety of reasons, he was unable to,” Lovullo said. “I still think he had a decent year but by Zack’s standards, it wasn’t up to par. So I think he spent the offseason probably thinking about things from a mental standpoint how he could go out and perform and do his job the way that he was counted on. And I think one of the things you always try and establish is what you’re going to do in your most comfortable surroundings, in this case pitching at home. … It’s important that you can set up a home-field advantage.”

Birthday at the ballpark

Lovullo celebrated his 52nd birthday Tuesday and was greeted with balloons spelling out “40” and “12” when he walked into the interview room at Chase Field before the game.

“I’m not a day over 40,” he said. “I’m 52, so I’m 40-12.”

Before heading to the ballpark, Lovullo said he slept in, which to him is 9:15 a.m. His son brought him coffee from Starbucks, and his wife had presents laid out from family and friends.

“They gave me a uniform. They let me sit in the dugout, make decisions that impact the game,” Lovullo said. “I mean, what better birthday present could I get? And I get paid for it, right? It’s a great birthday. Can’t ask for anything more.”

Father-daughter time

Outfielder David Peralta had a few gift bags piled up in his locker stall Tuesday, but he doesn’t share a birthday with Lovullo.

The presents were baby gifts, as Peralta and his wife, Jordan, are expecting a daughter named Sofia on Aug. 25.

“I’m nervous but nervous in a good way,” he said.

Familiarity breeds comfort

The Diamondbacks were much better the second time they faced Braves knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, cruising to a 10-2 win Monday at Chase Field after falling 4-3 July 14 in Atlanta.

And they hope that trend continues Tuesday in their rematch with Mike Foltynewicz. Against Foltynewicz July 15, the Diamondbacks lost 8-5.

“I know there’s a very aggressive fastball that we can track and maybe see and remember the ball jumps at you,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “The ball comes at you at really good velocity. I think our guys are going to be ready and know how to kind of time that up. So we’ve seen the secondary stuff. We know the shape of the pitches, and this just happened a week ago. So we should be equipped to get after things pretty quickly tonight.”   

Tonight’s lineup

1. David Peralta (LF)

2. A.J. Pollock (CF)

3. Jake Lamb (3B)

4. Paul Goldschmidt (1B)

5. J.D. Martinez (RF)

6. Chris Owings (SS)

7. Brandon Drury (2B)

8. Chris Iannetta (C)

9. Taijuan Walker (RHP)

Tuesday’s game

When: 6:40 p.m.

Where: Chase Field

Pitchers: Diamondbacks LHP Taijuan Walker (6-4, 3.61) vs. Braves RHP Mike Foltynewicz (8-5, 3.87)

TV/Radio: FSAZ/KMVP-FM (98.7), KHOV-FM (105.1)

Walker returns to the rotation after missing a start due to a stint on the paternity list. He last pitched on July 14, logging six innings and allowing two runs in a no-decision against the Braves at SunTrust Park. Walker has pitched at least five innings in each of his last nine starts dating back to May 2. Foltynewicz has not suffered a loss since May 5 and earned a win against the Dodgers in his last start. He has struck out at least five batters in each of his last five starts.

Take a look inside the D-Backs’ struggling offense

During a pitching change earlier this month in Atlanta, Diamondbacks infielders huddled near the mound and discussed their offensive predicament, one that dogged them then and still does today. Just a hit or two here or there, the players agreed, and everything would change.

For a while, the Diamondbacks struggles were easy to brush aside as a rough series or two. Or perhaps a rough week. But their offensive slide is approaching the four-week mark. Entering Monday, they had played 20 games since the slump began on June 28. They had lost 14 times.

Adding to the alarm is what has happened around them. Their deficit in the National League West had gone from 1 1/2 games to 11 1/2. And their lead on a wild card spot had shrunk from 10 1/2 games to 4 1/2.

Over the past month, their bullpen has coughed up costly, late-game runs. It seems they have stopped getting borderline calls from umpires or otherwise catching breaks they grew accustomed to getting early in the season. Their rotation has suffered a handful of rough starts. But, above all, it has been their offense that has vanished on them.

The drop-off is most severe in their situational hitting. They were hitting .293 with men in scoring position through June 27. Since, they’re hitting just .224.

No one has seen their numbers fall more drastically than the player whose production is most critical to the Diamondbacks’ success: Paul Goldschmidt. Through the club’s first 78 games, Goldschmidt hit a staggering .442 with men in scoring position. Over the past 20, he’s gone just 3 for 17.

READ THE STORY: Offensive woes putting D-Backs’ season in jeopardy

Coming up

Wednesday: At Chase Field, 12:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Patrick Corbin (7-9, 4.43) vs. Braves RHP Aaron Blair (6-5, 4.86)*

Thursday: At Busch Stadium, 4:15 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zack Godley (3-4, 3.32) vs. Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright (11-5, 4.89)

Wednesday: At Busch Stadium, 5:15 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Robbie Ray (9-5, 3.15) vs. Cardinals RHP Mike Leake (6-8, 3.39)

* = statistics with Triple-A Gwinnett