The Arizona Diamondbacks and their fans are still healing from some old wounds caused by 2021. An abysmal start by the offense and countless errors on the field defensively to start the season didn’t build confidence that 2022 would be much better. But after a breakout game at the dish in Washington D.C. and a four-game series split, you could feel things getting back on track for the D-backs. The adjustments made and the confidence built led Arizona to its biggest win of the season so far this week: a 2-1 series victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field.
It was a long time coming. It was the first time in almost three years that Arizona has won a series against the Dodgers. The D-backs’ last series victory happened on Sept. 1, 2019. But the game-three victory over their NL West rivals on Wednesday signified something much bigger than your typical series win. It fostered the idea that this team can beat any team in baseball. It also proved that the juggernaught in blue from L.A. is fallible.
This season, the D-backs have cost themselves plenty of games because of mistakes, but in games two and three in this series, it was the Dodgers that would couldn’t keep from making errors. The mistake-free play by Arizona allowed them to win the finale of the series with just two hits.
It was only the fifth time in franchise history that the D-backs have won a game with two hits or less. However, this is nothing new in this NL West rivalry. Three of those five wins have been against the Dodgers.
“It was a pretty clean game we played, and that’s what I’m looking for,” manager Torey Lovullo said of the defense after game two.
“Of course there are a couple of things we could tighten up, but when you’re executing at the level we are, making pitches the way we are…those are little momentum pushes that this team needs. We’ve been grinding, and we have a lot of expectations every single day when we come to the baseball field. Today, we were rewarded with well-played moments and a very timely hit and hopefully it carries over to tomorrow. That’s my expectation.”
Nick Ahmed made an immediate impact in his return from a shoulder injury that caused him to miss the beginning of the season. He not only had a solo home run in the 3-1 win over the Dodgers in game three, but his presence defensively anchored an infield that has floundered this season.
To say they’ve floundered is an understatement. The D-backs are ranked 29th in errors in MLB this season, with 17 errors in 19 games played. However, Arizona did not make a single error in this series whereas the Dodgers made three critical errors. Those errors led to the D-backs scoring runs, which was the difference for Lovullo’s squad. They won the inches.
Both teams had outstanding performances from starting pitching. Zach Davies bounced back well after giving up three early runs in his outing. It started a 14-inning scoreless stretch by the Dodgers that was picked up in game three by Zac Gallen. Gallen has returned to form this season and was tremendous in his start. In six innings of work, he allowed just two hits and no runs. He struck out five with two walks.
Arizona finished this homestand against the two best teams in the National League with a 3-3 record. They wrapped up a very difficult part of the schedule going 8-11. While you may want to refrain from talking about playoffs, it is promising to see this young team’s progress. It’s also promising to see the impact that the new coaching staff has already made. Most importantly, it is promising that Arizona ‘beat L.A.’ for the first time in a series in nearly three years.
