Daniel Descalso, Diamondbacks close April with a splash

It only figured that the guy dressed up like Captain America would end up smacking the walk-off home run that would lift the Diamondbacks to victory on Sunday in what, until the baseball landed in the swimming pool, had been the longest scoreless game in the history of Chase Field.

Daniel Descalso drilled an 0-2 fastball from Rockies right-hander Jordan Lyles into the drink for a two-run blast, and the Diamondbacks avoided a three-game series sweep with a dramatic and dynamic 2-0 victory in 13 innings in front of 23,613.

“It’s nice to get a win, especially on get-away day in a game like that where nobody seems to be scoring any runs,” Descalso said. “Our pitchers did a great job keeping us in the ballgame, and I’m glad we were able to pull out a win.”

Like the rest of his teammates, including manager Torey Lovullo and the coaching staff, Descalso agreed to shed their street clothes for red, white and blue, American-themed clothing for their postgame flight to Washington D.C. on Sunday night for a six-game trip that begins against the Nationals.

So technically, everybody looked a little bit like Captain America in their fun and silly garb. But to expect a home run from the 5-foot-10 utility infielder, who was getting a rare start in left field? He’d never hit a walk-off home run before in his life.

And Sunday’s was just the second one ever by a Diamondbacks hitter to land in the pool in right-center field.

“I’m just happy I could help the ballclub win tonight,” he said, adding, “I’m not trying to hit a home run there on an 0-2 count. But he made a pitch over the middle of the plate, and I put a good swing on it and it ended up being the game-winner.”

The Diamondbacks capped their first month of the season with their 16th win, another stunning development this young season. They’re getting contributions from everyone and turning heads across the major leagues with their early success.

Not only do they feature five of the top 25 hitters overall in terms of batting average, but they lead the majors or are ranked among the leaders in multiple team categories. Their pitching, meanwhile, has been ridiculously good. The starting rotation is first in innings pitched and strikeouts, second in wins and fourth in ERA.

On Sunday, thanks to 6 1/3 strong innings from Patrick Corbin and help from six relievers, they absolutely silenced one of the best-hitting teams in all of baseball. They also recorded 17 strikeouts, extending their own National League record for consecutive games with 11 or more strikeouts to seven. The major-league record is eight.

“Two great offensive teams, and you don’t really see a game 0-0 that deep,” said Corbin, who allowed two hits with two walks and six strikeouts. “I think our bullpen just did a great job, everybody stepping up and putting up zeroes, and if you keep doing that for us, we’re eventually going to score.”

Randall Delgado, the seventh Diamondbacks pitcher, was especially instrumental in the win. He worked the final three innings and allowed just one hit with one walk with four strikeouts.

“The pitching was unbelievable,” Lovullo said. “It was a collective effort. It was Patrick Corbin standing on things with the bases loaded and no outs to give up no runs. It’s a group effort from the bullpen to come in and pound the zone and not really have any issues throughout the course of their outing. Pretty impressive, considering all the things we’ve been walking through in the past couple days.”

It was an April to remember, though, and now everyone is curious to see what May might bring.

“It’s a good first month,” Descalso said. “You can’t win the division or make the playoffs in the first month, but you certainly can create a lot of problems for yourself. So we put ourselves in a nice spot. The first month is done, and now we’ve got to keep this going into May.”

MORE: Diamondbacks’ Lovullo stands behind Rodney after another blown save

Who’s to say where this start could take them? If the Diamondbacks keep playing like this, anything seems possible. Doesn’t it?

“I like where we are every single day,” Lovullo said. “I like the effort we give. I like the focus we have. I like the brotherhood that I’m watching. I like the family that we’re turning into. And on a day like today, when they had to rebound after a tough night (on Saturday) and rally around and support one another, we did exactly what we wanted.

“So when I think about the first month, I think about a strong bond inside that clubhouse, and that’s really exciting to me.”

Then again, so was dressing up in bright and bold red, white and blue for the charter flight to the nation’s capital.

“I love all the dress-up days,” Lovullo said. “I think they’re fantastic. It’s a great team-building experience for all of us and on top of that, you get to see a little bit of personality. I can’t wait to see some of the outfits.”

Reach McManaman at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Wednesday night between 7-9 on Fox Sports 910-AM on The Freaks with Kenny and Crash.

Coming up

Monday: Off.

Tuesday: At Washington, 4:05 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Taijuan Walker (3-1, 3.94) vs. Nationals RHP Tanner Roark (3-0, 3.64).

Wednesday: At Washington, 4:05 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Robbie Ray (2-1, 3.56) vs. Nationals LHP Gio Gonzalez (3-0, 1.62).

Thursday: At Washington, 10:05 a.m., Diamondbacks TBA vs. Nationals RHP Max Scherzer (3-2, 2.94).