Diamondbacks 13, Phillies 7
PHOENIX, Aug. 29 — The Arizona Diamondbacks, having fallen in a 7–0 deficit, sent 22 hitters to the plate over a two-inning span en route to a 13–7 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies Monday night. Carson Kelly went 2-for-4 with four RBI, including a key three-run double to spark the comeback, which was the largest in franchise history. Ketel Marte and Christian Walker also added two hits each to aid in the victory.
The Phillies hit Diamondbacks starter Madison Bumgarner — who skipped his last start in an attempt to get out of his recent slump — hard from the get-go. Left fielder Kyle Schwarber led off with a fly to the warning track in right. First baseman Rhys Hoskins and third baseman Alec Bohm followed with consecutive singles, bringing up designated hitter Bryce Harper. He hit a sinking liner to right, where scored Hoskins and advanced Bohm to third. Each of these hits came off the bat over 100 mph.
Catcher J.T. Realmuto hit a grounder to short. It appeared like the Diamondbacks could turn a double play if they could hurry, but Geraldo Perdomo had it clank off his glove for an error. Bohm scored on the play, giving the Phillies a 2–0 lead.
As second baseman Jean Segura batted, Realmuto stole second without a throw, bringing the infield in. Segura ultimately hit a grounder to first baseman Christian Walker, who threw home to retire Harper for the second out. As shortstop Bryson Stott batted, Segura was gunned down trying to steal, retiring the side.
Phillies Run Lead over Diamondbacks to 7–0
The onslaught continued in the top of the second. A pair of leadoff singles by Stott and right fielder Matt Vierling put runners on first and second with nobody out. After center fielder Brandon Marsh flied to center, Schwarber singled to right, plating Stott to make the score 3–0. Bumgarner escaped further damage when Hoskins hit a one-hopper back to the mound. He wheeled around and threw to second, starting a 1–4–3 double play to end the threat.
More damage came in the top of the third after a leadoff double by Bohm. Harper advanced him to third with a groundout. This set the table for Realmuto, whose sacrifice fly to left pushed the Phillies lead to 4–0. One inning later, the Phillies finished Bumgarner off. With one out, Bumgarner hit Vierling with a pitch. Marsh advanced Vierling to second with a single, bringing up Schwarber. His no-doubt homer to the right-field bleachers pushed the score to 7–0, getting Luis Frias throwing in the bullpen post haste. Hoskins kept the merry-go-round going with a single to center before Bohm struck out looking. Harper ripped a double to the right-field corner, advancing Bohm to third and ending the night for Bumgarner. Frias, after walking Realmuto, stopped the bleeding, retiring Segura on a grounder to first unassisted.
The Comeback Begins
The Diamondbacks figured turnabout is fair play in the bottom of the fourth. Designated hitter Josh Rojas led off, grounding to first with the pitcher covering. Four straight hits followed. Second baseman Ketel Marte singled to left and advanced to second when Walker did the same. Rivera scored Marte and advanced Walker to third with a double to right. Left fielder Stone Garrett brought Walker home with a single to left, making the score 7–2.
Center fielder Jake McCarthy broke the chain with a strikeout, bringing up Carroll with runners on the corners and two out. He hit a hard bouncer up the middle. With Carroll’s blazing speed, Segura had to hurry. However, he bobbled the ball, and Carroll beat the throw to first. Rivera scored on the misplay as Garrett, who took too big a turn around second, dove back safely into second. Perdomo kept the inning going with a walk, loading the bases for Kelly. He drove an opposite-field double to the right-field corner, clearing the bases and making the score 7–6. Exit stage left for Phillies starter Ranger Suarez, who gave way to Cristopher Sanchez. Rojas, batting for the second time in the inning, grounded to Sanchez for the third out.
Finalizing the Score
Frias shut the Phillies down in the top of the fifth, sitting them down in order on 13 pitches. In the bottom half, the Diamondbacks returned to work. Marte led off with a double to left before Walker and Rivera each walked. This loaded the bases for Garrett, who fanned. Up came McCarthy. Sanchez drilled him right over the kidney, giving McCarthy a painful game-tying RBI. That brought up Carroll, who smoked a double to the gap in left-center for his first major-league hit. Both Walker and Rivera scored as Carroll coasted into second with a double.
Perdomo drew another walk to load the bases, bringing up Kelly, who singled up the middle to drive in his fourth run of the game, this time in the form of McCarthy. After Rojas popped to second, Marte and Walker each drew RBI walks. When Rivera ended the inning with a strikeout, the score was 12–7. For the first time in franchise history, the Diamondbacks had scored six or more runs in consecutive innings. And for the first time in a major league game since 2021, a team had batted around in two straight innings. (Editor’s note: The last time came at Dodger Stadium, when the Diamondbacks were on the business end of a 22–1 massacre.)
The Diamondbacks only allowed two baserunners the rest of the game. They both came on seventh-inning walks by Caleb Smith, who returned from the injured list earlier in the day. The Diamondbacks tacked on one more run in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a solo homer near the left-field foul pole by Garrett.
Postgame Reflections
A relieved Madison Bumgarner, when asked after the game how he assessed his performance, breathed, “We won the game.” He joked, “I didn’t help us very much, but if giving up seven in any way helps us win the game, I’ll do it every time.” In seriousness, he continued, “That’s ultimately the only thing I care about. Obviously, that’s not in our best interest. And it’s been a rough stretch here for me personally, but I’m just happy that the guys picked me up. The bullpen did awesome, offense came back and killed it, so it’s definitely gonna make it a little bit easier to sleep tonight.” He later added that his biggest problem was that he kept “missing out in the middle.”
Torey Lovullo
Exhausted Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo smiled as he debriefed the press. “There were so many different emotions throughout the course of this day. I know there was excitement with Corbin being here. We got down early but got right back into it with six runs. Then we took the lead with another six-run inning the following inning, and then the bullpen executes. It was a really, really good win for us.
“Falling down, 7–0, is nothing you ever predict or want to be a part of that early in the game. But our guys locked it in from an offensive standpoint. They got a couple of guys on base. Carson, for me, had the big blow that got us right back into the game with a three-run double. Then we went back out there and scored six the very next inning with a really patient approach.
“There are so many things that stand out to me. One thing was Carson’s at-bat, but the bases-loaded walks to Marte and Walker were quality at-bats. With a back-end guy coming in to hold the game where it was, they locked it in and did a really nice job. But that was throughout the entire lineup. It’s eight or nine walks, 13 runs, timely hitting — it was a really, really nice comeback. And I was really, really proud of these guys.”
Corbin Carroll
Carroll wasn’t as nervous as he thought he “might be,” saying, “It felt comfortable. Playing with these guys before, playing at Chase before — all those were factors. It was fun.” For Carroll, his debut was “what you dream of as a little kid. Watching Jean Segura play for a number of years in Seattle growing up. Harper obviously being who he is, and then probably one of my earliest memories, watching baseball-wise, is Bumgarner doing what he did in San Francisco.” His night was special, but he couldn’t pick out what he’d remember the most about it. “I think those moments are still to come,” he said. “I’m going to see family and friends out there.”
Looking Ahead
Frias (1–0) earned the win — the first of his major league career — while Sanchez (2–2) took the loss, both in relief. The Diamondbacks (60–67) — winners of four straight, five of six, and seven out of eleven — and Phillies (72–57) will face off again Tuesday night in the second game of their three-game series. Zac Gallen (9–2, 2.66 ERA) and Aaron Nola (9–10, 3.08 ERA) will start for the Diamondbacks and Phillies, respectively, in a battle of righties. First pitch will be at 6:40 pm Arizona Time.
Main Photo Credits:
PHOENIX, Aug. 30 — Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Corbin Carroll takes his first major league at-bat, facing Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez in the bottom of the third inning at Chase Field. Carroll went 1-for-5 with a double, two RBI, and two runs scored in the game. (Photo by Evan Thompson)
Players mentioned:
Carson Kelly, Ketel Marte, Christian Walker, Madison Bumgarner, Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, Alec Bohm, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Geraldo Perdomo, Jean Segura, Bryson Stott, Matt Vierling, Brandon Marsh, Luis Frias, Josh Rojas, Stone Garrett, Jake McCarthy, Ranger Suarez, Cristopher Sanchez, Caleb Smith, Torey Lovullo, Corbin Carroll, Zac Gallen, Aaron Nola
