PHOENIX — The streak was over. After 9 straight somber treks again to the clubhouse following losses, the D-backs lastly walked off the sector victorious following a 3-0 win over the Padres on Saturday night time at Chase Field.
Paul Sewald, the nearer the D-backs acquired on the Trade Deadline, recorded the ultimate out. As he went by way of the postgame handshake line, he hugged supervisor Torey Lovullo and shared a message with him.
“We finally did it,” Sewald mentioned.
Since Sewald joined the D-backs, he had skilled nothing however losses, together with a heartbreaker final Sunday in Minnesota by which he gave up a pair of ninth-inning dwelling runs to blow a save.
“I’m just thankful we finally won a game while I was here,” Sewald mentioned. “I didn’t care if it was going to be 22-0 or 1-0. Just winning a game was really all that I cared about. So getting the save was just the cherry on top.”
The D-backs had been feeling the burden of the streak of late. Players have been doing their greatest to point out up every day with a optimistic perspective, however because the losses piled up, they acknowledged they have been urgent, with every desirous to be the one which delivered the important thing hit or pitching efficiency that might flip the tide.
This day had higher vitality proper from the beginning due to it being the celebration of the twenty fifth anniversary of the D-backs’ first season.
Over 50 former gamers, together with legends Luis Gonzalez, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, have been in attendance. A pregame ceremony launched them and a video performed on the scoreboard recounting all of the magical moments in franchise historical past.
An enormous crowd of 41,351 turned out to observe, creating some enthusiasm early on.
“The first thing I noticed when I came out of the dugout was the crowd,” mentioned first baseman Christian Walker. “And it changes everything. That’s home-field advantage, in my opinion — the crowd on your side and booing the other team and cheering for us. It was exactly what we needed to help us pull our way out of this.”
The D-backs acquired an excellent pitching efficiency from Zac Gallen because the right-hander allowed simply 4 hits throughout six innings.
Outfielder Tommy Pham, additionally acquired on the Trade Deadline, drove dwelling a run within the first and Walker offered insurance coverage runs with a two-run homer within the third.
“It’s no secret that it’s been a tough go for us, especially the last week and half,” Gallen mentioned. “The last month or so, I think, everyone was just kind of pressing. And it’s good to finally break through. I think everyone can kind of take a step back now, but still the job is not finished.”
Gallen’s level is nicely taken as a result of whereas it had been a nine-game shedding streak, their struggles dated again to July 1. Entering Saturday the D-backs had dropped 25 of 32 video games.
And after practically every of these wins throughout that stretch, they thought that they had turned a nook solely to run into one other wall. So you possibly can perceive why they’re hesitant simply but to proclaim that their struggles are over.
The D-backs path the Dodgers by 12 1/2 video games within the NL West, and they’re three video games out of the ultimate Wild Card spot. They might want to go three groups to get there.
“We’ve got a tough road ahead of us,” Gallen mentioned. “We must play some actually good groups within the subsequent two months. Obviously, everyone in [the clubhouse] hopes that that is the beginning of one thing good. But we’ve to earn it.
“Nobody is going to give it to us. We’re going to have to take it. Just because we won today, it doesn’t mean they’re going to give it to us tomorrow.”
Content Source: www.mlb.com