In the first game back since the All-Star break, the Arizona Diamondbacks (50-46) struggled at the plate and lost to the divison rival San Francisco Giants (44-51) 2-0 on Friday night. Starting pitcher Ian Kennedy was sharp through most of the game, yet struggled early on giving up two earned runs in the first inning on 28 pitches. Those two runs, however, proved to be costly.
Jul 19, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitching coach
Charles Nagy(50) visits the mound to speak with starting pitcher Ian Kennedy (31) during the first inning of the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT
Buster Posey lined a double off the wall in center field, which scored Gregor Blanco. Didi Gregorius tried to get him at home plate, but catcher Miguel Montero could not handle the ball. Posey advanced to third after a Pablo Sandoval groundout, which brought Hunter Pence to the plate. He ripped a single, driving in Posey and giving the Giants a two run advantage. That was all they needed.
Chad Gaudin (4-1) pitched seven impressive innings of baseball, lowering his ERA to 2.15. He also struck out eight while not walking a single D-Backs batter.
After getting beat up on Sunday in a 5-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, Kennedy pitched well. He turned in a quality start after a rough first inning, giving up five hits and the two runs. He also retired 11 out of the last 12 batters he faced, certainly doing everything he could to keep his team in the game. His offense, however, was unable to bail him out.
The lineup totaled just five hits, from only three different players. Adam Eaton and Montero went 2-for-4, and pinch-hitter A.J. Pollock recorded a hit in his only at-bat of the night – that was it. All-Star Paul Goldschmidt, who has hit eight home runs and 28 RBIs since 2011 against the Giants, went 0-for-4. This includes an inning-ending groundout with the bases loaded in the eighth.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, who beat the Washington Nationals on Friday sit just 1 1/2 games back of the Diamondbacks for first place in the National League West. The Giants are crawling back as well, and are 5 1/2 games back.
The two teams are back at it on Saturday evening – Wade Miley (6-7) VS. Matt Cain (5-6). Check out our Series Preview here.