Record: 7-10-5. Five-inning record: 10-9-3.
You’d be forgiven for having forgotten, what with your morning dose of Gallenfreude, but the Diamondbacks still played a baseball game today. And, as has become standard of late, it ended without a winner or a loser. Arizona rattled off their third consecutive tie. I checked the spring results back to 2010, and they haven’t had more than three in an entire pre-season (including an even rarer 0-0 tie against the Brewers on March 21, 2012). They’re now up to five this year, with more than a week still to go. This time, it was the D-backs’ turn to mount a ninth inning comeback. Pavin Smith’s lead-off double coming in on productive outs by Domingo Leyba and Stephen Vogt.
In place of Zac Gallen. Seth Frankoff got the start and was effectively wild through four innings, no-hitting Oakland, despite walking four. But an error and a fifth walk to open the fifth proved his undoing, as a 2-RBI triple chased him, and a sacrifice fly gave the Athletics a 3-0 lead. Frankoff went four innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on a hit and five walks, with one K. But Arizona hit back with a three-spot of their own immediately. After the Diamondbacks had loaded the bases with no outs, they succeeded in taking advantage for once. Christian Walker doubled in a pair, and Josh VanMeter followed with a sacrifice fly, leveling the score at 3-3.
That’s where it stayed until the last of the eighth, as Arizona got scoreless innings from Tyler Gilbert and J.B. Bukauskas. Luis Frias put up a zero in the seventh, before allowing the A’s to score the go-ahead run in his second inning of work. But the D-backs rallied once more to tie things back up, and Carlos Navas delivered a 1-2-3 ninth to stave off defeat. Tim Locastro and Pavin Smith each got two hits, while Walker and Josh Rojas had a hit and a walk.
Tomorrow, it’s the first of consecutive night games at Salt River, with the Mariners being the visitors. Merrill Kelly will be the scheduled starter, but after today, I don’t want to tempt fate by stating anything definitively. Anybody care to bet against another tie?
Diamondbacks 4, Athletics 4: All-you-can-eat Tie Buffet - AZ Snake Pit
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