Arizona Diamondbacks fall short of sweep, lose to Pittsburgh Pirates in extras

The Arizona Diamondbacks are in the midst of their best month of the season, a stretch in which they have cemented themselves as legitimate contenders. But in at least one corner of the clubhouse the end cannot come soon enough.

“It’s just been a fantastic July, so far,” closer Paul Sewald said, his tone part sarcasm, part frustration. “That’s pretty much it.”

Sewald blew another save on Sunday and the Diamondbacks lost, 6-5, to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Chase Field. They missed out on a sweep and could have moved into playoff position for the third wild-card spot in the National League. Instead, they had to settle for a series victory and remain a half-game back of the New York Mets.

Four times this month Sewald has failed to protect a lead. The Diamondbacks have lost all four times. Manager Torey Lovullo said after Sunday’s game that Sewald was still his closer. His leash figures to be getting shorter.

It was, objectively, an entertaining finishing. The Diamondbacks led, 2-1, before a pair of Pirates’ doubles in the ninth tied it. A meltdown occurred an inning later and the Pirates moved in front, 6-2. The Diamondbacks roared back but fell just short.

“We did some things well,” Lovullo said of the final few innings. “And we did some things that weren’t so good.”

Sewald gave up two hits, both doubles, neither on pitches that appeared egregious. He tends to be the loquacious type, but on Sunday afternoon he made reporters work a bit harder to extract comments.

“Got hits, didn’t get them out,” he said. “It’s what happens. It’s just disappointing. I don’t really have anything else to say, unfortunately.”

Rowdy Tellez opened the ninth by smoking a double off the center field wall on an inside fastball that might have been called a ball. After Sewald struck out the next two batters, he again hit a corner with a fastball – this time on the outer edge of the plate – but watched as Joey Bart mashed it to right field for a game-tying double.

It went as the Diamondbacks’ 19th blown save of the year. Only five teams in baseball have more.

“It’d be great if it was a perfect science and every time you got to the ninth inning it was a lockdown,” Lovullo said. “It doesn’t happen in this game.”

Blame could be spread throughout the home clubhouse. Entering the ninth, the Diamondbacks led, 2-1, but they had managed only two hits, going hitless in their previous 13 at-bats. Had they managed more, they could have given Sewald more room for error.

And reliever Justin Martinez managed to have a worse day than Sewald, first by misplaying a bunt, then issuing two walks (one intentional), hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch to help the Pirates open up a four-run lead in the top of the 10th.

The bunt, which went as a single for the Pirates’ Ji Hwan Bae, was at the top of Lovullo’s mind after the game. Martinez picked it up, thought about going to third but didn’t, then turned to go to first, by which point the speedy Bae had already beaten it out.

“You can’t hesitate,” Lovullo said. “We talk about playing fast and crisp and accurately. When you blink, you get punched in the face. We got punched in the face there. I don’t like it.”

The Diamondbacks clawed back. Eugenio Suarez (two-run shot) and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (solo homer) got them within one and Carroll tripled with two out. But Pirates reliever Colin Holderman got Geraldo Perdomo to bounce to first to end it.

“We’ve got to pitch better at the most critical points of this game and put the ball on the plate,” Lovullo said. “We didn’t do that well today.”

Ketel Marte, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. get days off; Christian Walker next?

Second baseman Ketel Marte was out of the lineup on Sunday, with manager Torey Lovullo saying Marte is “a little gassed out” and in need of a break.

“It’s been a busy several weeks for him physically and emotionally,” Lovullo said. “Just a day game after a night game made a lot of sense.”

Lovullo said he had left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. out of the lineup for the same reason.

“Just needs a day off,” Lovullo said.

Speaking of, Lovullo said he is “hunting” for a day off for first baseman Christian Walker, who has played in each of the Diamondbacks’ 105 games, starting 103 of them. Lovullo said Walker’s workload is “a concern of mine.”

“I don’t like what I did to him for the first half,” Lovullo said. “It was two games off but he got into both of them. And he’s played every game. I don’t want that to happen. I’m looking for a day off for him. I haven’t quite got there yet. We’re in a good spot — we’re playing good baseball and we need him on the field — but I know a recharged and very strong Christian Walker is going to help us win games and I have to balance that.”

Monday’s Diamondbacks-Nationals pitching matchup

Nationals at Diamondbacks, 6:40 p.m., Cox, Ch. 34

Diamondbacks LHP Jordan Montgomery (7-5, 6.11)  vs. Nationals LHP DJ Herz (1-4, 4.95).

At Chase Field: Montgomery made his return from a knee injury last week in Kansas City, giving up just one run in five innings against the Royals.  … Montgomery averaged 91.6 mph with his fastball in that start and elicited four swinging strikes with his change-up. … Montgomery has faced the Nationals only twice in his career, one time each in the past two seasons. Last year, he allowed one run in seven innings. … Herz, a rookie, was an eighth-round pick by the Cubs in 2019. He was traded to the Nationals at the deadline last July as part of the IF Jeimer Candelario deal. … In eight starts in the majors, Herz has done well getting whiffs and strikeouts, but he has not been pitching deep into games, averaging less than five innings per start. … He averages 93.4 mph with his fastball and also relies heavily on his change-up and slider. … He has never faced the Diamondbacks.

Coming up

Tuesday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (7-6, 4.85)  vs. Nationals LHP Mitchell Parker (5-6, 4.34).

Wednesday: At Chase Field, 12:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (8-5, 3.70)  vs. Nationals LHP Patrick Corbin (2-10, 5.26).

Thursday: Off.

Friday: At PNC Park, 3:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (5-6, 3.92)  vs. Pirates RHP Luis Ortiz (5-2, 2.75).

What to know about the Washington Nationals

The Nationals’ rebuild seems to be taking another step forward this year. They have hung around the .500 mark for much of the year, though haven’t played well enough to be true contenders. As such, they have begun to sell some of their veterans, starting with a reported deal that will send OF Jesse Winker to the New York Mets. They also are reportedly listening to offers on RF Lane Thomas and RHP Kyle Finnegan, among others. SS CJ Abrams is having a strong year, hitting .259/.333/.461 with 15 homers and 19 steals, though he has been caught stealing 10 times. 2B Luis Garcia Jr. has a .280 average and 11 homers. OF James Wood, one of the top prospects in baseball, has had an uneven start to his career, hitting .235/.309/.341 in 22 games since debuting on July 1. The Nationals pitching staff ranks 11th in the league with a 4.20 ERA. RHP Jake Irvin has been their best starter, logging a 3.44 ERA in 128 1/3 innings.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Diamondbacks fall short of sweep, lose to Pittsburgh Pirates in extras