Diamondbacks Rally in Ninth Inning for Thrilling Series Win vs Royals

The D-backs put up a crooked number in the ninth as they come back to take the series.

Jul 24, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) celebrates toward the dugout against the Kansas City Royals after hitting a single in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks came back to take the rubber match of a three-game set against the Kansas City Royals by a score of 8-6 after a five-run ninth inning. They sit at 53-50, now only half a game back of a Wild Card spot.

The D-backs were able to get to Royals starter Michael Wacha early, tagging him for three solo home runs, but the early lead would ultimately fail to hold behind a shaky inning from Ryne Nelson.

Nelson's start looked solid from the beginning, as he was able to work around base traffic to induce an inning-ending double play in the first. In the top of the second with two outs, Eugenio Suarez launched a ball for a solo home run, giving the D-backs a 1-0 lead.

Nelson quickly allowed a run in the bottom of the second, as a Drew Waters double scored Freddy Fermin, although a bad relay from Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte might have contributed to the run scoring.

Nelson pitched around more traffic from red-hot Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino, getting a second double play in the third to keep the score 1-1.

In the top of the fourth, Joc Pederson came up to bat with one out. He turned on a pitch and crushed it 445 feet to right center, the 200th home run of his career. The D-backs took the lead 2-1, but Christian Walker quickly followed up with a solo home run of his own.

It was the third time in 2024 Pederson and Walker have hit back-to-back homers, tying the Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, and Atlanta's Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna as a tandem.

Career home run #200 for Joc Pederson, and that ball was obliterated.

445 feet. pic.twitter.com/OmQYie6SzV

— Alex D’Agostino (@AlexDagAZ) July 25, 2024

Nelson then ran into trouble in the fourth inning. He surrendered a leadoff double to Michael Massey, then advanced him to third with no outs on a wild pitch. He then gave up a walk, an RBI groundout, and a Kyle Isbel triple with one out.

With the score knotted, Nelson sailed another pitch over Jose Herrera's head, and the Royals took a 4-3 lead. That score would hold until the ninth inning.

Nelson still ended up going six innings, with the four earned runs on nine hits and two walks. He struggled to garner swing-and-miss, and only ended up with two strikeouts, one of them looking.

It certainly wasn't Nelson's strongest outing, but, despite surrendering the lead, he was able to keep them in range of victory, and his bullpen and offense had his back.

Justin Martinez and Joe Mantiply pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth, with just one baserunner between them. The D-backs failed to score again through the eighth, despite a leadoff double in the fifth and two on with one out in the eighth.

But in the top of the ninth, it came together. Facing Royals' closer James McArthur, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. singled with one out. Geraldo Perdomo followed by working a trademark walk after being down in the count.

Then, with runners on first and second, Gabriel Moreno--who had not started the game--came through with a double to the right center field gap, bringing both runners home and retaking the lead 5-4.

Moreno is now hitting .448 in the ninth inning following his crucial two-run knock tonight.

"It’s the kind of team we are, we don’t give up until the final out. Thankfully I was able to give the key hit and add on top of that,” said Moreno postgame, “the confidence kind of builds up as the game progresses… Thankfully I’m able to do my job, which is the most important thing to me, to do my job."

Manager Torey Lovullo called Moreno the "right guy in the right spot," and praised his young catcher's approach.

“When his approach is where it’s at right now, it’s almost like it’s slump-free, he’s going to be able to see the baseball, and barrel up the baseball," Lovullo said.

But the D-backs weren't done yet. Corbin Carroll chopped a ball on the ground up the middle, and Ketel Marte came up with runners at the corners.

Marte, after homering in the first two games of the series, smashed a home run to dead center, providing insurance, and ultimately the winning runs. His 22nd homer of the season went 419 feet, 102.6 MPH off the bat.

“He’s a beast, I don’t know what else to say," said Lovullo of Marte, "I hope the baseball fans in Kansas City and the fans watching back home really appreciated what they saw today between he and Bobby Witt Jr.”

Paul Sewald ran into some more trouble himself, three singles later (one by the notorious Bobby Witt Jr.), and the D-backs' lead was down to 8-6, with Salvador Perez up to bat as the tying run.

Perez got into an 0-2 sweeper in a dangerous part of the zone, giving it a ride to left field, but ultimately falling into Gurriel's glove for the final out. The comeback was completed, and Arizona took a challenging series 2-1 against a tough AL opponent.

“We never shut down," said Lovullo, "It was a character win, I think the guys dug as deep as they could. We made a little noise in the eighth, and I think we cycled through that frustration.”

“I think good teams can toggle, and have good and bad moments and know how to flush it, come out, and do something like we did in the ninth inning,” the skipper continued.

Box score here.

It was a win they needed, and a tough opponent in an unfriendly park, but Arizona got the job done. The snakes will be back in action at Chase Field on Friday, facing the Pittsburgh Pirates for a three-game set.