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Considering the Arizona Diamondbacks (60-62) trail the New York Mets by only four and a half games for the third and final National League Wild Card spot, it is easy to assume that the Snakes are sharing living quarters with Lady Luck these days. Mother Nature does not seem so fond of the ballclub, however. While putting the finishing touches on an 8-2 victory versus the Colorado Rockies (32-89) on Thursday, relief pitcher Jalen Beeks swallowed a fly.
The unsuspecting left-hander had just thrown his second pitch of the evening when he suddenly started coughing and moving around uncomfortably on the mound. The broadcasters speculated that he was short of breath, but lip-readers quickly discovered what the problem was: he involuntarily ingested a late-game snack in Coors Field. Manager Torey Lovullo confirmed the mishap after the win, and Beeks spoke on it as well.
“Yeah, l swallowed a fly when I lifted my leg,” the former 12th-round draft pick told reporters, per MLB.com's Manny Randhawa. “Never had that happen, but, you know, we got through it. We got the win. That’s the important thing… I gagged a little bit. It just took me a second, but I was fine. No big deal. Good story for later, though.”
Beeks did allow a solo home run to Brenton Doyle shortly after the “incident,” which was his first blemish in 7 2/3 innings pitched. Was the insect responsible for this streak-ending dinger? Well, as legendary New York Yankees radio play-by-play man John Sterling said for many years, “that's baseball, Suzyn.”
Diamondbacks are showing unexpected signs of life
In the end, the D-backs earned the blowout road win and are now creeping a little closer toward the playoff picture. Fans know better than to make any wild predictions at this point of the year. Arizona embraced its role as a seller ahead of the trade deadline, dealing away impactful performers like Eugenio Suarez, Merrill Kelly and Josh Naylor. The team is also wrapping up one of the softer stretches on its schedule, so context is important.
However, it would certainly not be the first time most of the baseball-watching world dismissed this franchise prematurely. Two years ago today, the Diamondbacks were 59-60 (also playing a road series versus Colorado) and hardly seemed like a club worth monitoring in the NL Pennant race. They slid into the playoffs with 84 wins and advanced to the World Series for the second time ever.
A repeat scenario appears incomprehensible given all the key injuries and departures Arizona is presently navigating, but three additional games against the horrid Rockies should only increase this squad's bleak odds.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Ketel Marte and Jose Herrera each posted multi-RBI outings in Thursday's triumph in Denver. The offense as a whole remains quite potent, with Marte and Corbin Carroll each posting a .550-plus slugging percentage. Despite losing Suarez and Naylor, the Snakes still boast a nice mix of contact and power in their lineup. They will look to keep it rolling in what is arguably baseball's most hitter-friendly ballpark.
Brandon Pfaadt will take the hill in Friday's game versus Colorado. He will try to stay alert and keep his mouth closed, for there are plenty of creatures obviously determined to decisively derail this campaign. Well, get in line. The baseball gods and the team itself have tried their best to land the knockout blow, and the Diamondbacks are still standing. At least for now.
