Bullpen Blows Another Lead, Diamondbacks Lose 8-5

Apr 3, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt hits a two run home run in the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Its official, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2014 season is turning into 2013. For the second time in this series, the D’backs’ bullpen, more specifically Will Harris blew the lead giving up five runs in the 8th inning and losing to the San Francisco Giants 8-5 Thursday afternoon at Chase Field. The D’backs lost the series three games to one, and are now 1-5 on the season. Their record ties a franchise mark for the worst start in club history. It was previously done in 1998, 1999, and 2003. There is no need to panic quite yet especially with 156 games left in the season. If you are looking for some good news, in both 1999 and 2003 the D’backs went on to have great years when they went 100-62, and 84-78 respectively.

Bronson Arroyo made his Arizona debut giving up 2 runs on 5 hits in only 4 and a third innings. According to Arroyo and Manager Kirk Gibson, he just wasn’t feeling great, and the Giants had a lot of lefties in the lineup. He was asked to be taken out after throwing just 82 pitches. Lets hope this doesn’t become a regular occurrence. Theoretically, he could have gone 7 plus innings the way he was throwing and commanding the zone. Arroyo going out early eventually hurt the team when the bullpen imploded again, and gave up a late two run lead.

Heading into the top of the 8th, the D’backs were up 5-3 and in a comfortable position to win and grab a series split. Instead Harris came in and had one of his worst outings as a Diamondback giving up 5 runs, including a three-run home run to Angel Pagan that sealed the game. Harris can blame a bad strike zone all he wants, but the bottom line is he had to adjust and he didn’t. Just like in the first two games of the series the offense wasn’t the issue. You would think that 5 runs on 8 hits is enough to get the job done, but not for this team. Paul Goldschmidt made a little bit of D’backs history, hitting a two-run home run in the first inning, his first of the year, extending his hitting streak to 25 games. His streak dating back to the 2013 season is the second longest in club history behind the 30 game streak by Luis Gonzalez in 1999. This guy continues to amaze and make franchise history at the same time. Mark Trumbo hit his second home run of the year, a two-run shot that at the time gave the Snakes a 4-2 lead.

The game was delayed several minutes with one batter out in the first inning due to a swarm of bees. Centerfielder A.J. Pollock still managed to catch the first out of the game, despite dealing with the bees and the sun. The D’backs will try to regroup Friday when they start a six game road trip in Colorado against the Rockies. The game is Colorado’s home opener and will not be televised by FSAZ. The game can be heard on 98.7 FM and 620 AM and will start at 1:10 Arizona time. Randall Delgado who won the fifth starter’s job will make his season debut against Juan Nicasio.

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