Embarrassing doesn't even begin to describe the Arizona Diamondbacks' 9-1 loss to the Houston Astros last night.
The D-Backs, currently one of the better squads in baseball, got their assess handed to them in grand fashion by the 'Stros, who are presently one of the worst in the bigs.
Lopsided losses to bad teams are sort of Arizona's thing lately, as they
dropped two of three over the weekend to the Los Angeles Dodgers and suffered through a steamrolling by H-Town on Monday evening at Chase Field. And believe us, it was most definitely a steamrolling. In fact, the game was pretty much over by the time starting pitcher Daniel Hudson (11-8, 3.83 ERA) was yanked in the third inning.
Hudson experienced an epic fail last night by allowing Houston to scored a whopping five runs in the first frame (including a three-run homer by J.D. Martinez) and gave up another two in the second. Carlos Corporan, Matt Downs, and Clint Barmes all logged RBIs against the pitcher in the opening innings, making the score 7-0 before most fans had time to grab their nachos and get comfortable. Zach Duke managed to stop the bleeding until the sixth, when a Jimmy Paredes single to left scored Martinez and Jose Altuve.
Arizona didn't provide much in the way of run support for their pitchers, as Wandy Rodriguez (8-8, 3.52 ERA) blanked the D-Backs for six innings and kept the bats of Justin Upton, Gerardo Parra, and Kelly Johnson silent. The team's lone run came in the sixth when Henry Blanco nailed a one-out homer to keep the game from being a complete skunking.
The only good news from last night, however, is the fact that the Diamondbacks didn't lose any ground in their National League West horse race with San Francisco, as the Giants also lost. Arizona (62-53) remains a half-game back from the Jints, and will attempt to save face tonight and salvage their series with Houston (38-77). Jason Marquis (8-6, 4.33) will take the mound against Astros right-hander Jordan Lyles (1-6, 4.36). First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. TV: Fox Sports Arizona. Radio: KTAR 620-AM. For more info, visit
www.dbacks.com.
Benjamin Leatherman is the clubs editor at Phoenix New Times. He covers local nightlife, music, culture, geekery, and fringe pursuits.
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