Randy Johnson ties Roger Clemens in strikeouts: Diamondbacks still lose
Unit excels, D-Backs falter late
Unit excels, D-Backs falter late
It almost felt like old times.
A scowling Randy Johnson chased another strikeout record. Fans rose in unison with two strikes. And the tall left-hander turned in the sort of vintage effort his struggling team needed.
But unfortunately for both Johnson and the Diamondbacks, there was no storybook ending, despite the way things seemed to be lining up Thursday night. OAS_AD(‘ArticleFlex_1′) <SCRIPT language=’JavaScript1.1′ SRC=”http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/N339.azcentral.com/B2739729.3;abr=!ie;sz=160×600;click0=http://gcirm.azcentral.gcion.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/2008/05/29/20080529dbgame.html/2128675795/ArticleFlex_1/OasDefault/audi_may08_sports_160A/1232_cars-728.html/34383162333138383438343138626430?;ord=2128675795?”> </SCRIPT> <NOSCRIPT> <A HREF=”http://gcirm.azcentral.gcion.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/2008/05/29/20080529dbgame.html/2128675795/ArticleFlex_1/OasDefault/audi_may08_sports_160A/1232_cars-728.html/34383162333138383438343138626430?http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/N339.azcentral.com/B2739729.3;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=160×600;ord=2128675795?”> <IMG SRC=”http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/N339.azcentral.com/B2739729.3;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=160×600;ord=2128675795?” BORDER=0 WIDTH=160 HEIGHT=600 ALT=”"></A> </NOSCRIPT>
The San Francisco Giants tied the score in the eighth inning and took the lead in the ninth, completing a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks with a stunning, 4-3 win in front of 21,037 at Chase Field.
An error by first baseman Conor Jackson gave the Giants an extra out in the eighth, an inning in which reliever Tony Pena wound up walking in the tying run, and in the ninth, San Francisco’s Randy Winn connected on his second home run of the game to give his club the lead.
For the Diamondbacks, it was a crushing end to a game that felt as if it was theirs all along. In losing for the fourth day in a row, the Diamondbacks were swept for the third time in the past three weeks.
“The way it’s going right now, we make a bad pitch, we don’t make a play, it ends up costing us,” manager Bob Melvin said. “When you’re playing well, sometimes you get away with those things.”
With his seven-inning, nine-strikeout effort, Johnson climbed into a tie with Roger Clemens for second place on the all-time strikeout list with 4,672. One more strikeout, and he will trail only Nolan Ryan, who amassed 5,714.
After Johnson struck out Dan Ortmeier for the first out in the seventh, the fans got behind him, rising to their feet when he reached two strikes on the next three batters. Johnson couldn’t finish any of them off, but he said he felt some adrenaline because of the fans.
“They were willing me, but it just didn’t happen,” he said. “I appreciate that.”
Still, when he left with a 3-2 lead, it looked as if career victory No. 289 was imminent, and it felt as if right fielder Justin Upton’s big day (home run, RBI triple) was going to be enough to snap a losing streak.
But the Giants didn’t let it happen. After tying it in the eighth on Fred Lewis’ bases-loaded walk, the Giants took the lead when Winn led off the ninth by smacking a sinker from struggling reliever Chad Qualls into the left-field stands.
It was yet another big hit for Winn, who has hit .377 with eight home runs in 106 career at-bats at Chase Field.
But though the Diamondbacks remain in a rut, having lost eight of their past 10 games, their 3 1/2-game edge over the slumping Dodgers in the National League West is still the largest of any division leader.
“Obviously, the only consolation we have is LA is playing just as bad as we are,” Qualls said. “It would be nice to gain some ground with everything that’s happened, but right now we’re in a little bit of a funk, and we need to get out of it.”
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Deirdre Hamill/The Arizona RepublicRandy Johnson tied Roger Clemens on the all-time strikeouts list Thursday night, but the bullpen gave up a 3-2 lead after he left the game.
More on this topic
• More Diamondbacks from Nick Piecoro
• Randy Johnson’s year-by-year strikeouts
Game photos | Chat | Box
Report
Key player
San Francisco’s Randy Winn had yet another big game at Chase Field with two home runs, including the winner in the ninth inning off reliever Chad Qualls.
Key moment
After an error by first baseman Conor Jackson, reliever Tony Pena lost control of the strike zone and walked Fred Lewis to force home the tying run.
Key number
3: Errors by Jackson this season. All three have led to key runs in Diamondbacks losses.
View from the press box
With a homer and a triple Thursday, Justin Upton appears to have put that prolonged drought behind him. But from watching him interact with teammates the past couple of weeks, you never would have known he had been in an 0-for-27 skid. It showed not only amazing maturity for a 20-year-old but illustrated the kind of confidence he has in himself.
Tonight’s game
Nationals at Diamondbacks
When: 6:40 p.m.
Where: Chase Field (roof hotline: 602-379-ROOF).
Pitchers: Nationals RHP Tim Redding (6-3, 3.59) vs. Diamondbacks RHP Micah Owings (6-2, 3.73).
TV/radio: FSNAZ, KPHE/ KTAR-AM (620), KSUN-AM (1400).
Owings earned his first career win against Washington on April 6, 2007. In two starts, he is 1-0 with a 0.79 ERA against the Nationals. He has struck out 14 in 11 1/3 innings. In his previous outing, against the Braves, Owings gave up three runs (two earned) and six hits in six innings. . . . Redding is off to one of the better starts of his career, but he has struggled against Arizona. In six starts he is 0-5 with a 6.30 ERA. He is coming off one of his worst outings of the season. On May 25, he gave up five runs and 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings against Milwaukee. On April 2, Redding allowed one hit in seven innings in a 1-0 win over the Phillies.
Up next
Washington Nationals
At the plate: The Nationals are the worst offensive team in the National League, with the lowest average (.234) and on-base-plus-slugging (.668). They have been hit hard by injuries lately, losing 1B Nick Johnson, OF Austin Kearns and 2B Ronnie Belliard to the disabled list. 3B Ryan Zimmerman has been hampered by a sore shoulder and missed the past four games.
On the mound: Their pitching staff ranks in the bottom third of the league, mostly because of a bullpen that has a 4.37 ERA, second worst in the NL. They are still without their closer, RHP Chad Cordero, who is out because of a shoulder injury. LHP John Lannan has been one of their better starters, pitching into the seventh inning or later four times.
Overall: The Nationals were a surprise team last season and expected to continue to improve this year. It hasn’t happened. Zimmerman is having an off year, their outfielders as a unit have not been productive, and the pitching hasn’t been good enough to make up for it. With the Diamondbacks struggling offensively, this has the makings of a low-scoring series.
Coming up
Projected starting pitchers for the next three games:
Saturday: At Chase Field, 5:10 p.m., Nationals RHP Jason Bergmann (1-1, 4.50) vs. Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Webb (9-2, 3.01).
Sunday: At Chase Field, 1:10 p.m., Nationals RHP Shawn Hill (0-1, 4.02) vs. Diamondbacks RHP Dan Haren (5-4, 3.75).
Monday: At Milwaukee, 5:05 p.m., Brewers RHP Jeff Suppan (3-4, 3.93) vs. Diamondbacks LHP Doug Davis (2-2, 4.57.)
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Randy gets hosed by the DBACK bullpen for the second time in a row.
They should line up and kiss his feet………
Wow! Brutal.
DONT TALK BACK TO ME !!!!!!!!!!!! this team is about where they should be at .500 if not for a couple of lucky brandon webb 2 run doubles they would be right there
Nice to see a 40+ year old showin’ up the youngsters…
You can only use the excuse, “This is a young team who is just in a slump” for so long. I’m done using it. I’m now beginning to think that the D-backs we’re seeing in May are the true D-backs and the D-backs we saw in April are a fluke. This is ridiculous. The offense is horrendous, the defense is terrible, the bullpen is not nearly as strong as last season, and the starting pitching is not what it was early in the season. A great outing by Randy was ruined by Pena’s bases loaded walk, Conor’s error, and Qualls giving up a HR to Winn. There are no reasons to believe this slump will end anytime soon. I’m not sure what to say about the Nationals coming in; I thought the Giants would be easy and they took the brooms to us. Washington could easily do the same thing with the way these boys are playing.
The D-backs are the luckiest first place team in the world right now. They should be kissing the the Dodgers for losing so many games and keeping the lead at 3 1/2 games because the Snakes sure haven’t earned that lead over the past few weeks.
Melvin makes excuses for players that have not hit. He makes excuses for players who can not field. he makes excuses for mental errors. He makes excuses for pitchers who make horrible pitches.
Melvin needs to be fired immediately. Melvin seem the term “the teaming grinding”. Melvin’s lack of ownership and acknowledgment of problems is the problem with this team. He sets the tome for the excuses and poor play.
I had no idea the Giants were this good
You guys were bashing me when I was saying the samething. Glad to see Upton hit a homer but next at bat third strike with bat on shoulder not a good thing. I’ll br out f the country for 2 weeks and when I get back mabe the team will have turned it around.
The Mad Scientist needs to mix up some new mojo for this team.
Scary watching the Dbacks lose games they would have easily won in April. Now the Pena and Qualls have had rough outings due to their control, it is time for them to go back to fundamentals.
Trust your talent. Don’t get cute. Know your release point and believe you can hit your target.
Pena occasionally wobbles and seems to lose it every time there’s a fielding miscue behind him. Second or third time this season he has go over the edge after an error by walking the next 2 batters. He has to get tough mentally in a way that he won’t lose his composure. Some guys can’t pitch angry. Get a grip, Tony.
Qualls was lucky on his strikeout. That slider was a foot outside and the batter swung because he was way too anxious.
Rough series. I’m glad the Giants are moving on.
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