PHOENIX -- After watching his team commit several miscues in coughing up a late lead and losing, 7-4, to the Red Sox on Sunday, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo had a direct message for his team.
“That's unacceptable,” Lovullo said. “First of all, I need to state that that is not our style of baseball, and we're going to talk about it, and we got to tighten that up.”
Sloppy play always rankles Lovullo, but it was up another notch Sunday because suddenly, the Diamondbacks have something at stake.
Over the past month, despite selling off key pieces at the Trade Deadline, they have crept within shouting distance of the final NL Wild Card spot. By the time the Diamondbacks allowed six runs over the final three innings, they knew that two teams ahead of them in the Wild Card race had lost.
Instead of staying ahead of the Reds, leapfrogging the Giants and pulling to within 3 1/2 games of the Mets, who currently hold the No. 3 Wild Card spot, the Diamondbacks were passed by the Reds by a half-game and remain a half-game behind the Giants and 4 1/2 behind the Mets.
“It's September baseball,” Lovullo said. “We're chasing something. It's got to be crisp, it's got to be focused, [there] has to be preparedness, readiness and the ability to execute at the most critical times of the game. We didn't do that. Didn't do that today, that's perfectly clear.”
The Diamondbacks led, 3-1, through six innings behind a good outing by starter Ryne Nelson.
Things began to unravel in the seventh when Trevor Story was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Right-hander Ryan Thompson had Story picked off first base, but first baseman Tyler Locklear’s throw to shortstop Geraldo Perdomo was a little late and Story was able to make it to second base.
“In my opinion, that was where the game switched, right there,” Lovullo said. “I think we get a big out right there, sigh of relief, and we just didn't execute.”
Third baseman Jordan Lawlar then could not come up with a grounder for an infield single and later in the inning, Lawlar’s two-out throwing error allowed a pair of unearned runs to score as the Red Sox grabbed a 4-3 lead.
“Gripped a two-seam, put some pace on it, and then the two-seam ran a little bit,” Lawlar said.
The Diamondbacks would manage to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh, thanks to Lawlar’s RBI single, but in the ninth, the Red Sox scored three times off relievers Taylor Rashi and Kyle Backhus.
“It's probably as frustrating a game as I've seen and been a part of the past couple of months,” Lovullo said. “Especially since we're chasing something. It just amplifies it.”
Not many would have predicted the Diamondbacks would even be on the outskirts of the Wild Card chase at this point, but they made a believer out of Boston manager Alex Cora.
“That’s a good team, and that team is going to be in the hunt the rest of the way,” he said. “That team is going to make a run. It’s a really good team.”
The Diamondbacks now head out on a six-game road trip, which starts with a three-game series against the Giants. It’s a crucial series for both teams if they have hopes of keeping the Mets in their sights.
“Gonna be a great series,” Lovullo said. “I love playing against the Giants. They’re a good baseball team with one of the best managers in baseball [Bob Melvin] there. They got things tightened down real nice up there. So it should be a great series.”