Diamondbacks keep Wild Card chase alive with win vs. Dodgers

PHOENIX — The Diamondbacks came from behind to walk off the Dodgers, 5-4, in the ninth inning Tuesday night and keep alive their hopes of capturing the final NL Wild Card spot.

The win, combined with the Mets’ win and the Reds’ loss, means Arizona is now tied with the Reds, both teams one game behind the Mets, who currently hold the No. 3 Wild Card spot with five games to play.

Arizona owns the tiebreaker over the Mets, but not against the Reds.

Geraldo Perdomo drove in the game-winning run with a two-out single to left field that scored Tim Tawa from second base.

Let’s look at some of the key moments that led up to that:

Getting Ohtani out of the game

Shohei Ohtani started for the Dodgers and the right-hander was brilliant through six shutout innings, allowing five hits while striking out eight and not walking a batter.

In their hitters’ meeting before the game, the Diamondbacks discussed how tough Ohtani was, but their goal was to keep the game close and try to increase his pitch count, hoping to get him out of the game relatively early.

Ohtani threw 72 pitches to get through five innings, but Arizona made him work in the sixth, pushing his pitch count to 91 and getting him out of the game.

Chess match in the seventh

Lefty Jack Dreyer started the seventh for the Dodgers, and with two outs, he allowed an RBI double by James McCann.

That brought up the left-handed-hitting Jake McCarthy with a runner on second. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo didn’t like the left-on-left matchup.

Lovullo knew that right-hander Edgardo Henriquez was warming in the bullpen and that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts would go to Henriquez if Lovullo sent up righty Jordan Lawlar to pinch-hit for McCarthy.

Roberts did just that and Lovullo then had the matchup he wanted all along as he sent the left-handed-hitting Adrian Del Castillo up to hit for Lawlar.

“I know Henriquez doesn’t match up well against lefties,” Lovullo said. “As it was unfolding and the moves were being made, that’s ultimately the move I thought we’d get to, and that’s the one I wanted, and it worked out.”

It sure did, as Del Castillo hit a two-run homer to pull Arizona to within 4-3.

Roberts went to struggling closer Tanner Scott to start the ninth, and right away the left-hander was in trouble, hitting Ildemaro Vargas with a pitch and walking Tawa on four pitches.

That brought up catcher James McCann, and the veteran catcher had something to prove to Lovullo, who a couple of weeks ago had pinch-hit for McCann so he could have that hitter bunt.

Ever since, McCann has been adamant in telling Lovullo that he can bunt, so with runners on first and second, Lovullo gave him the bunt sign.

McCann fouled off two sliders to start the at-bat, and Lovullo, who doesn’t like to put pressure on a hitter by having him bunt with two strikes, took the bunt sign off.

“I mentally had sold out that I was going to get it down,” McCann said.

So, despite the bunt sign being off, McCann bunted the next pitch, another slider that was nowhere near the strike zone.

Both runners moved up and Jorge Barrosa delivered a sacrifice fly to tie the game before Perdomo delivered the game-winner.

“I believe that there are certain guys that I’ve played with in my career that when they come up to the plate in a big spot, that I wouldn’t want anyone else being in that opportunity,” McCann said. “Perdomo is one of those people.”

Five games left to go in a season that once seemed all but lost, the Diamondbacks are still alive.

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