Diamondback Show Tremendous Grit To Comeback On Marlins Twice, 6-5

The Arizona Diamondbacks have shown this season that they are never out of games. They completed yet another comeback victory to beat the Florida Marlins and win their fifth-straight series. (It would be seven-straight except for the two-game split with the Padres in mid-May). 

The hero of this game was its early goat. Daniel Hudson gave up four runs and seven hits (five for extra bases) in the second and third innings and seemed headed for an early shower. But somehow Huddy got his act together and lasted four more innings. His final line for the evening was seven innings, 10 hits, four earned runs, one homerun, three strikeouts and (the most important number of all) zero walks. 

The only way you survive a night like that on the mound is to avoid putting runners on the bases via the walk and Hudson did that. He was getting hit extremely hard but managed to keep his poise and settle in. It was "Grit" personified and the rest of the team responded. 

"(Hudson) saved our bullpen. He got us into some good options," manager Kirk Gibson said about the performance from his starting pitcher.

Down 4-0 by the third inning and getting nothing off Javier Vazquez, the team held firm until Ryan Roberts open things up in the sixth inning with a two-run homer which was immediately followed by a triple from Kelly Johnson who scored on a ground ball out. 

Chris Young tied the game after a leadoff double was turned into a run in the seventh and then in the eighth Young hit another double that plated Stephen Drew. 

The game seemed over in the bottom of the ninth when closer J.J. Putz took the mound following a three-strikeout eighth inning by David Hernandez. Putz had previously set a franchise record with 16-straight saves to start the season. He's been so automatic that even the thought of any other outcome was far from the minds of the Chase Field crowd. But all streaks much come to an end and Putz' did when he gave up a solo homerun to catcher John Buck on an 0-1 fastball.

It didn't matter though, Putz ended up with the win as the offense came through. 

"He's picked us up all season," the D-backs' Justin Upton said. "I dropped a ball in the outfield earlier in the year, he came back and got the next out."

Willie Bloomquist made it from first to third on a short ground ball to the left side of the infield and and Upton plated him with a broken bat walkoff bloop single that fell in short right field near the line. Credit Bloomquist who was in motion on a hit and run for taking third in a heads up play.

One play that Gibson wanted to point out was a defensive stop from shortstop Stephen Drew. With the D-backs down 4-3 in the seventh, the Marlins led off with a hit. The runner, Chris Coghlan, took off on a hit and run play. The batter swung through the pitch and catcher Miguel Montero made a throw that could have bounced into center field as many of his throws to second do. Drew made the play and got the tag down.

"Those are the types of plays that people don't look at that much but had a huge influence on the game," Gibson said. Instead of a guy on second with nobody out, they erased the runner and got out of the inning unharmed.

Gibson was pleased with his team's ability to weather the early storm and avoid frustration. He sees his team growing closer by the game which helps their ability to grind out every contest.

With the win and a Giants loss to the Cardinals, the D-backs could be 1.5 games up on San Francisco in the NL West. A Giants win leaves them .5 game back. Arizona's next series is against the Washington Nationals for a four-game set at home. The Nationals are 24-31 on the season.

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Daniel Hudson, Diamondbacks Try For Series Win Against Marlins

After a superb May of 19-10 baseball, the firstArizona Diamondbacks now seek to start out the month of June with a new winning streak. Arizona took the first game of the three-game set against the Florida Marlin, winning 15-4 but could not muster much against Anibal Sanchez, as he defeated Ian Kennedy and the Snakes 5-2. So, this evening, Arizona seeks to win yet another series and maintain their half-game lead in the NL West.

Starting for the Dbacks is Daniel Hudson, who has recovered nicely from a rough start to the season. He is now 6-5 with an ERA of 4.13. He won five of his six starts in May, including his last three, and has been a key factor lately to the team's success. He will be battling former Diamondback Javier Vasquez, who comes in sporting a pedestrian 3-4 record and 6.02 ERA. He has, however, had some success against his former team. In his career, he has a 5-3 records against Arizona with an ERA of 3.92 in 15 starts. 

Notes:

After losing four consecutive one-run games, Arizona has won their last six such contests.

Kelly Johnson is riding an eight-game hitting streak and has raised his batting average nearly 50 points since the start of May. 

Today's game will start a little earlier than normal, with first pitch set for 4:40 PM AZT. It will air on Fox Sports Arizona.

Join in on the game conversation and get additional Dbacks news and analysis over at AZsnakepit.com.

Arizona Diamondbacks Fall To Marlins Anibal Sanchez, 5-2

So, that's what losing is like. It's been so long that we kind of forgot that it was possible. But Anibal Sanchez and the Florida Marlins were able to take advantage of a less-than-stellar outing from Ian Kennedy to take Game 2 of the series. The Marlins after all, at 32-22, are a pretty good baseball team. Despite the loss, the D-backs hold on to first place in the NL West thanks to the Giants losing to the Cardinals.

Kennedy clearly didn't have his best stuff but did a good job wiggling out of few jams and limiting the damage to three runs in five innings. He gave up three walks and five hits but used four strikeouts to escape further damage. It could have been enough to keep the Snakes in the game against most other pitchers, but Marlins ace Anibal Sanchez was brilliant. 

Sanchez went eight full innings and recorded eight strikeouts, allowing two solo homeruns to the red hot Kelly Johnson (his third in two games) and Justin Upton who went 5-5 on Monday.

For more on this game and all things Diamondbacks head over to AZ Snake Pit.   

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Diamondbacks Schedule: Ian Kennedy Headlines D-backs Duel With Florida Fish

Looks at those Arizona Diamondbacks getting love on Sports Center and up to fifth place in the power rankings on MLB.com. Winning seven-straight and 15 of 17 has that effect on people. The D-backs, however, are always just a couple of losses away from people jumping right off the bandwagon and throwing down the "they are who we thought they were" line. 

Tuesday will be an interesting test (at this point they all are) with staff ace Ian Kennedy (6-1, 3.01) taking on another NL West stud, Anibal Sanchez (4-1, 2.60). Sanchez threw a shut out against the Giants in his last outing and which only continues his dominance in the month of May. We know how good Kennedy's been (eight innings, one run in his last start).

The game Tuesday starts at 6:40 p.m. at Chase Field with the TV broadcast on Fox Sports Arizona and the live game thread at AZ Snake Pit.

Fan Confidence: We - AZ Snake Pit
Fans of the Diamondbacks haven’t had much to cheer for the past couple years.  Two years in the cellar, with regime upheavals and the dismissal of popular players.  But the Diamondbacks are back on top after nearly 1000 days in the wilderness. But it’s not the end.  Three long months remain in a season that could bury the Diamondbacks with all the other teams that peaked too early. 

Diamondbacks Attendance Improving Steadily With Success

Arizona Diamondbacks Pound Florida Marlins Into Fish Paste, 15-4

What else can you say about the first place Arizona Diamondbacks. They are on a serious roll and playing with incredible confidence. It's not hard imaging this D-backs team beating anyone right now. Can it last? Who knows, but in the meantime just sit back and enjoy the ride. Monday's passenger was the poor Florida Marlins who gave up 19 hits and 15 runs to the D-backs. Joe Saunders was far from stellar but he managed six innings with four earned runs allows.

In a game like this with 19 hits it's difficult pick out the heroes. We'll start with Justin Upton who when 5-5 with a homerun and three runs and three RBI. Kelly Johnson continues to break out of his early season slump. He hit two solo homers and overall went 4-6 with three RBI. Next up is Miguel Montero who still can't throw the ball with second base without it being an adventure but on this night went 3-5 with five RBI and the big three-run dinger to bust the game open.

For more on this game and all things Diamondbacks head over to AZ Snake Pit.

Arizona Diamondbacks Starting Lineup, Memorial Day Against Florida Marlins

After winning 14 of their last 16 games, the Diamondbacks are back in Phoenix to open up a seven game homestand against the Florida Marlins and the Washington Nationals.

Now that the Diamondbacks are in first place in the NL West with a 29-24 record, we fully expect the fans to show up in droves. Winning sports teams always do well in the valley, proof that this town is full of discerning sports fans who won't settle for mediocrity.

Starting pitcher Joe Saunders takes the mound for the D-backs against Chris Volstad and the Marlins.

Starting lineup for your Arizona Diamondbacks:

Kelly Johnson, 2B
Melvin Mora, 3B
Justin Upton, RF
Stephen Drew, SS
Chris Young, CF
Miguel Montero, C
Juan Miranda, 1B
Gerardo Parra, LF
Joe Saunders, SP

Starting lineup for the Florida Marlins (30-21):

Emilio Bonifacio, SS
Omar Infante, 2B
Logan Morrison, LF
Gaby Sanchez, 1B
Mike Stanton, RF
Greg Dobbs, 3B
John Buck, C
Chris Coghlan, CF
Chris Volstad, SP

The game is set to begin at 5:10 PM.

1st Place Arizona Diamondbacks Host Florida Marlins

The Arizona Diamondbacks, the NL West leading Arizona Diamondbacks, are back home from a successful 6-1 road trip. The Snakes took three of four from the Rockies and swept the Houston Astros thanks to two impressive come-from-behind games. That's how gritty teams do. They grind and never give up and when the game is over their uniforms are dirty and the manager is happy.

The Florida Marlins are going to be a pretty nice test. The Twins and Astros are one thing, but the Fish are 30-21 and just two games back from the Philadelphia Phillies (33-20). The Marlins will throw Chris Volstad (2-3, 5.40) on Monday against Joe Saunders (1-5, 4.65). Saunders has thrown a couple of good games recently and with the way the D-backs hit at home, if he can go six innings and keep it to four runs, the chances should be good.

Tuesday is the "Ace Day" with Ian Kennedy (6-1, 3.01) going against Anibal Sanchez (4-1, 2.60). That should be a fun pitchers' duel. Daniel Hudson (6-5, 4.13) goes Wednesday against Javier Vasquez (3-4, 6.02).

Monday's Memorial Day Game starts at 5:10 p.m. on Fox Sports Arizona with the live game thread at AZ Snake Pit.

Here's more on the series:

Series Preview #19: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Florida Marlins - AZ Snake Pit

It has returned to Diamondback fans, after two seasons of being banished in favor of despair and Tankapalooza and vague "hopes for the future." ...It's fun, and it's not something I realized I ever lost until I found yourself rooting for a first-place team after two seasons with more than 90 losses.

And, you know what?  The optimism is warranted, because this team is better than the last few incarnations. Sure, they've gotten a bit lucky over the past two weeks, but bad baseball teams don't go 14-2 over a given stretch...I'm not quite sure if I'm all the way on the optimism bandwagon, but my pessimism is wavering somewhat.