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There were no late-game heroics, no walk-off hits, so the Diamondbacks’ deficiencies on Tuesday night were out in the open for all to see. Their starting pitcher again was unable to go deep. The bullpen was knocked around for the second consecutive game. The middle infield made mistakes that led directly to runs.
Even worse, perhaps, the Diamondbacks didn’t execute an appeal play, a mistake that prevented them from a replay challenge, miscues that might have cost them even more runs.
They are two days into a six-month season, but some of the concerns that surrounded them entering the year already have manifested themselves in a pair of games against the San Francisco Giants, the latest an 8-4 loss on Tuesday night at Chase Field.
“I don’t think we played our best game,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “We didn’t execute at times in several different areas and it cost us. It cost us in some key moments.”
BOX SCORE: Giants 8, D-Backs 4
The most glaring of those moments came during the Giants’ five-run fifth inning. After Brandon Crawford greeted Diamondbacks reliever Randall Delgado with a solo shot to start the inning, Eduardo Nunez reached on an infield single, a sharply hit grounder to short that Chris Owings couldn’t complete the play on.
Three batters later, Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto hit another ball to short. The ball glanced off Owings’ glove – instead of an inning-ending double play, the Giants had a run in and men on first and second.
“I just kind of took my eye off it,” said Owings, whose double-play partner, Brandon Drury, also misplayed a ground ball in the third that led to a run. “I was trying to turn the double play right there. I got the hop that I wanted to, I just took my eye off it.”
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It didn’t take long for the Diamondbacks to make another mistake. Gorkys Hernandez followed by ripping a double into left and Cueto raced all the way around the bases and scored standing up.
But it appeared Cueto missed home plate – or, at least, it was close enough for the Diamondbacks to either appeal it or, failing that, challenge it. Lovullo said the bench signaled for an appeal, but instead of stepping off and throwing home, Delgado delivered a pitch.
Everyone involved offered different versions on why that happened. Lovullo said Delgado didn’t understand the rule, that he “thought there could be an appeal off of the pitch.” Delgado said he knew the rule but that he missed a sign. Catcher Jeff Mathis said the whole thing was on him; he shouldn’t have crouched down as if to receive a pitch.
Either way, when the pitch was delivered, not only did the Diamondbacks miss out on the appeal opportunity, they also missed out on the challenge, which Lovullo said he would have initiated.
“He didn’t say that it was 100 percent certain,” Lovullo said, referring to video coordinator Allen Campbell’s assessment on whether Cueto missed home. “But it was something that, at that point in the game, I would have challenged even if it was close enough.”
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On the bright side, right-hander Archie Bradley delivered 3 1/3 innings of electrifying relief work, striking out seven and working with a fastball that sat mostly in the mid-90s and touched 99.
“He saved us,” Lovullo said. “He allowed us to have a full bullpen for tomorrow’s (Wednesday’s) ballgame.”
With Patrick Corbin going just four innings on Tuesday, the Diamondbacks have received just nine innings from their starters in two games, although Lovullo said he would have asked more of Zack Greinke were they deeper into the season.
And the bullpen, which was a weakness last year, has again looked spotty, allowing seven earned runs in nine innings.
Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.
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