Well, that was incredible.
After the Diamondbacks gave up five runs in the top of the tenth inning, all hope was seemingly lost. But Ryan Roberts never says die.
With the bases loaded, down 6-3, Roberts hit a walk-off, game-winning grand slam off of Los Angeles Dodgers closer Javy Guerra to propel the Diamondbacks to their 94th win of the 2011 regular season.
The bottom of the tenth felt like nothing more than an intriguing subplot, as the Diamondbacks had the bases loaded, down four runs, with Aaron Hill at the plate. With a chance to tie the game, the Dodgers brought in closer Javy Guerra. Hill was patient, resisting the urge to swing at Guerra's arsenal of breaking balls.
Hill earned a walk, driving in a run to bring the score to 6-3. That's when Roberts did the unbelievable, driving the first pitch he saw into the left field bleachers and causing absolute pandemonium at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix.
Justin Upton was victim to a fluke injury. A bomb off the bat of A.J. Ellis careened off the wall, striking Upton in the side of the head. Upton recovered to throw the ball into the infield, but was immediately removed from the game. Just days after sustaining a concussion after being hit on the head by Tim Lincecum, this was an awful sight for the D-backs to see.
To sum up the top of the tenth inning, Micah Owings allowed Dee Gordon to get on base with a double. When Jerry Sands attempted to bunt Gordon over to third base, Owings committed a cardinal mistake, throwing the ball into left field, allowing Gordon to score.
After that, all hell broke loose. Matt Kemp singled, getting to second on a bobble error by Chris Young. After retiring Juan Rivera, Owings allowed James Loney to single before walking Aaron Miles.
Then, A.J. Ellis inflicted a two-run triple that, as previously mentioned, injured Upton. When all was said and done, the Dodgers scored five runs off of Owings, who earned the win despite his worst outing of the season.
Rookie Jarrod Parker got his first career start, a 73-pitch, 5.2 inning outing that promised good things in the future for the big club. While he only collected one strikeout, his efforts were noticed.
With one game to play, the Diamondbacks are one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for homefield advantage in the playoffs. After this miracle that just took place, anything can happen tomorrow night. Anything.
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