The Arizona Diamondbacks broke out of a slump Monday as Josh Naylor belted a walk-off grand slam to cap an 8-4 win in 11 innings against the Seattle Mariners.
The Mariners will try to do the same on Tuesday in the second contest of the three-game series in Phoenix.
Naylor’s homer, his third hit of the game, helped the Diamondbacks snap a three-game losing streak.
“It was magical,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said of the win.
The Mariners tied the game by scoring four runs with two outs and no one on in ninth inning. They came up empty in the 10th and 11th innings, however, and lost for the sixth time in seven games.
“Continue to see the fight in these guys and continue to see them bounce back time after time,” Seattle manager Dan Wilson said. “We were just a little bit short.”
Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (7-4, 5.51 ERA) is scheduled to face Mariners’ rookie right-hander Logan Evans (3-1, 2.83) on Tuesday.
Bryan Woo originally was scheduled to start Tuesday for the Mariners, but the team pushed him back to the series finale Wednesday after Bryce Miller did not respond well to a cortisone shot. Miller will be placed on the injured list with right elbow inflammation.
The Diamondbacks appeared to lose a valuable member of their pitching staff Monday when closer Justin Martinez was removed with two outs in the ninth inning with right elbow tightness.
Martinez signaled to the dugout after throwing a 1-0 pitch to Donovan Solano.
“High. Fairly high,” Lovullo said of his concern regarding Martinez, who had Tommy John surgery in 2021.
The pitcher is set to have an MRI on Tuesday.
The Diamondbacks made a bullpen move earlier in the day, with Kendall Graveman being placed on the injured list with a right hip impingement. He missed the start of the season with a lumbar strain and has made only nine appearances for Arizona.
The Mariners also retooled Monday in a move that paid immediate dividends. Former Diamondbacks outfielder Dominic Canzone, who was promoted from Triple-A Tacoma, hit a 450-foot, two-run homer to tie the game in the ninth inning.
Canzone hit .296 with 13 home runs, 36 RBIs and a .924 OPS in 45 games at Tacoma. Veteran outfielder Leody Taveras was designated for assignment to make room.
“You just want to come out with the victory there and get back on the right track,” Canzone said. “I know we’ve been struggling a little bit. It would have been a huge (win) to get.”
Evans stepped up to make six starts this season for the Mariners on the heels of injuries to George Kirby and Logan Gilbert.
Evans arguably made his best start in his most recent appearance, a 9-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on May 27. He allowed one run on four hits and struck out four in eight innings. Evans, who was optioned to Tacoma the next day, will face Arizona for the first time in his career.
Pfaadt, who signed a five-year, $45 million contract the first week of the season, is returning after the worst two starts of his career. He gave up eight runs on six hits without getting an out in an 11-7 loss to Washington on May 31.
Pfaadt allowed six runs (five earned) in three innings at Atlanta last Thursday. The D-backs, however, scored seven runs in the ninth inning for an 11-10 victory to get him off the hook.
Pfaadt has a 3.86 ERA without a decision in two career starts versus Seattle.
–Field Level Media
