D-backs Overwhelm Nationals With Offensive Onslaught

The Diamondbacks recovered from an early grand slam to defeat the Washington Nationals.

The Diamondbacks showed their resiliency tonight, recovering from a first inning grand slam to defeat the Washington Nationals 10-5 at Nationals Park. It was the second consecutive inning in which an opponent hit a grand slam, but this time they had plenty of time to answer. 

"I just felt like if we hung in there and Tommy [Henry] did, he did a good job" said D-backs manager Torey Lovullo. "He started making pitches, gave us a chance to catch our breath, we just chipped away. It was still early, we had a chance to play catch up if we did what we did best with controlling the zone and get on base."

The D-backs took advantage of a Nationals pitching staff that entered play tonight with the third worst walk rate (9.9%) in MLB, as eight walks and two hit batters created additional opportunities. They took advantage of their opportunities tonight, going 5-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Once again the running game made a huge impact, putting pressure on the Nationals pitchers and defense, and ultimately turned the tide in this game. The D-backs stole five bases on the night and caused Washington to commit two errors.

Josh Rojas, who went through a rough month of May, went 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBI and two runs scored for his second multi-hit game in a row. His bunt single, his second in as many games, to lead off the fourth started the onslaught. 

"Me and Torey had a talk, he was telling me to play with the confidence that I've always had" said Rojas. "I haven't bunted all year, every time I thought about it I was second-guessing myself trying to get a hit. Then we had that talk and I was like alright, I'm going to go out there start bunting more. If they're going to give it to me, I'll take it. It was another situation where the first baseman was back and I saw that the bunt was available and I got one down."

The bunt single seemed to get Rojas' confidence going, as he tied the game an inning later on a sacrifice fly then hit a two-run single that provided two valuable tack-on runs.

"These last couple games have been really good for my confidence" said Rojas. "It was tough there for a while, I thought I'd maybe never get a hit again. Bunts help just to get a hit on the board, get your confidence up, it feels really good and hopefully I keep going."

Pavin Smith, who entered play batting .206 on the season, added a key RBI single in the fourth and hit a two-run homer in the seventh for their final two runs of the night. 

The offensive onslaught bailed out Tommy Henry, who endured a rough start as he had no feel for his changeup and struggled to command his fastball. He allowed five runs on five hits, two home runs, three walks, and two strikeouts. He labored through a 36-pitch first inning, but then recorded the next nine outs on 27 pitches. Henry ran out of gas in the fifth, as he was pulled with the tying run on third with one out. His final line was five runs on five hits, three walks, and two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

"I think he was spinning out of there, he arm was dragging. He was kind of pushing his changeup, which was starting to have an effect on his fastball" said Lovullo. "The second, third, and fourth inning Tommy gave us was crucial, we didn't have to go into our bullpen early, caught our breath. I know he wanted the win, he was a little too inconsistent with his overall stuff."

José Ruiz entered with the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on first. Ruiz struck out pinch hitter Corey Dickerson and got C.J. Abrams to fly out to left to escape the jam. The bullpen faced the minimum over the final 4 2/3, with both baserunners erased on ground ball double plays, striking out three Nationals. 

With the Dodgers getting walked off by the Cincinnati Reds, the D-backs now have sole possession for first place in the National League West. However it's important they take care of their own business and don't get caught up in scoreboard watching. Arizona goes for the series win tomorrow, sending right-hander Zach Davies to the mound (0-1, 5.40 ERA) to face former Diamondback Patrick Corbin (4-5, 4.92 ERA). First pitch at Nationals Park will be at 7:05 PM ET/4:05 PM MST.