Diamondbacks Drop Dramatic Series Finale to Rays in Extra Innnings

The Diamondbacks dropped today's series finale in what turned out to be an insane nail-biter filled with twists and turns along the way.

Aug 18, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll (7) is congratulated by ]Arizona Diamondbacks third base Eugenio Suarez (28) after he scores a run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the tenth inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks cleared the field after the 12th inning saddened from a tough loss. Along the way though, they played one of the toughest fought matchups of the year againt the Rays.

Today's game began on a sour note, with Merrill Kelly hitting Yandy Diaz on the elbow, causing the Rays first baseman, and former batting title winner to exit the game. Kelly worked around some light traffic and stranded 2 men on base for a scoreless first inning.

Drew Rasmussen, the Rays opener did a fantastic job against the Diamondback's offense. He didn't allow a hit in two innings of work against Arizona, successfully turning it over to Tyler Alexander.

Today's game didn't stay scoreless for long, with Brandon Lowe continuing his run of dominance against the Diamondbacks, sending his 2nd home run of the series out to deep right field. The blast came on a mislocated cutter from Merrill Kelly, leaving a 2-0 deficit early in the 3rd inning.

Jose Caballero would plate 2 more for Tampa Bay on an RBI double and took 3rd base with a stolen base. More Chaos Ball followed with Junior Caimenero hitting an RBI triple, which originally had the rookie star out at 3rd base. That would be overturned because of fielder interference being called on Josh Bell.

Merrill Kelly was knocked out after back-to-back walks in the 6th inning, being replaced by Joe Mantiply. Kelly's outing never felt right. A pitcher usually known for his finesse seemed to never find his groove. It also quickly became clear that Kelly's velocity was down significantly.

Coming off the injured list against the Phillies, things didn't look out of place, averaging 91.5 mph. Today he averaged a staggering 89.9, the lowest of his career. In 2023 those numbers, while not "high" were a much more solid 92.2, more on par with his first outing back. Coming off a shoulder injury, a velocity dip is enough to raise eyebrows.

After replacing Merrill Kelly, Joe Mantiply allowed a double steal and a Wild Pitch. Mantiply settled down quickly though, escaping a bases-loaded jam after entering with no outs in the inning.

Starting Pitcher Results

Merrill Kelly: 5 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, 4K, 2BB, 96 P

Drew Rasmussen: 2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 21 P

The Diamondbacks had been getting no-hit throughout the game, with Drew Rasmussen and Tyler Alexander dominating the Arizona offense until the 7th. Corbin Carroll would collect the first hit of the game on a flare to left field. Lourdes Gurriel Jr and Josh Bell would both reach, with Tyler Alexander losing his command. The D-Backs got on the board with a sac fly from Jake McCarthy.

A tremendous sign for the Diamondbacks came in the 8th, a 2-run home run from Corbin Carroll. It was his 16th of the year, and 2nd two-run blast of the series, making it a 6-3 ballgame. A Lourdes Gurriel Jr single ended up being the final straw for Alexander, with Rays manager Kevin Cash finally pulling the plug on the lefty's outing.

After the game Torey Lovullo came back to this moment, reflecting on a tough matchup. "Corbin scratcing out a knock and then knocking a left on left home run that got us right back into the game, had us feeling like we could manouver a bit, and create traffic, giving us a chanceto create a crooked number. It re-energized our dugout."

The 9th inning, as it normally would, with Pete Fairbanks entering to face the heart of the Diamondbacks order. A Jake McCarthy single brought Ketel Marte into the game as a pinch hitter for Randal Grichuk.

Marte has been dealing with an ankle injury. After taking two pitches Marte collapsed onto the ground, slamming his first into the ground in frustration. He exited the game, limping off the field with a trainer. Read more on the injury HERE.

Joc Pederson took over for Marte, and ended up walking, but the Diamondbacks rally came to a head when rookie catcher Adrian Del Castillo came up as the tying run, and sent a game tying three-run blast into the right field bleachers.

In the bottom of the 9th inning, Jose Caballero reached base on a fielder's choice and stole two bases, placing the winning run at 3rd base. A bad bunt fielded by A.J. Puk, and a strikeout from Kevin Ginkel gave the Diamondbacks another chance to cap off a win.

Joc Pederson would bring in the go-ahead run in the 10th on a fundamental swing against a lefty. Things were once again turned over to Kevin Ginkel to try to close it out. It was not to be. Taylor Walls beat him on a game-tying hit to left, forcing the game to carry on.

Without any more run support, Justin Martinez turned in the best inning of his career, stranding the bases loaded with the winning run at 3rd. Still, the Diamondbacks failed to bring in a go-ahead run in the 12th.

Martinez went back to pitch the bottom of the 12th, only to give up the winning run on a single to left by Dylan Carlson.

"There were some really good moments, and some identifiable moments where we need to improve." said manager Torey Lovullo postgame. "We fought really hard, and there is no quit in this team, and that is what I am going to focus on while we are traveling down to Miami."

The Rays beat the Diamondbacks 8-7, sweeping them out of Tampa. The D-Backs will try their luck again in Miami, looking for a big rebound series. Make sure to keep tings locked into Diamondbacks on SI for all D-Backs coverage.