Is the 13th time the charm for the Arizona Diamondbacks?
Jul 8, 2015, 9:53 AM | Updated: 9:54 am
As much as the Arizona Diamondbacks don’t want to talk about it, their quest to reach the .500 mark has become a real story.
That’s because the team is trying to even their record for the 13th time since April 26. You read that correctly — the Diamondbacks are 0-12 in their last 12 attempts to escape losing-record territory.
The D-backs have a 13th attempt Wednesday night in Arlington as they take on the Texas Rangers in an Interleague matchup.
“I feel good about (reaching the mark now) because it’s the 13th time, and that was my number in high school,” chief baseball officer Tony La Russa joked with Doug and Wolf on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Wednesday morning.
“I remember one time we played a big, big game on Friday the 13th and everybody was saying it was bad luck. My dad said ‘hey, it’s a lucky number for you, son.’ And we won, I got some hits.”
The players have noticed the weird trend, as well.
“I think I just became aware of it the last couple times we tried to break the .500 mark,” All-Star outfielder A.J. Pollock told Bickley and Marotta on Tuesday. “It’s one of those things, it’s hard to put a finger on it. Obviously we go out there in those games, and we’re not thinking about .500 — we just got out there trying to play good baseball. Ironically, we haven’t got there.
“We’ll get there. We’re definitely going to get over that mark and hopefully, when we get past that, we can start taking off and make a run.”
Wednesday’s opportunity will come with Jeremy Hellickson on the mound for Arizona. The right-hander is coming off arguably his best performance as a Diamondback when he threw seven strong innings, allowing just three hits, one run and striking out six in an 8-1 win over the Colorado Rockies last Thursday night.
“Jeremy, if he can duplicate his last time out, he had everything working,” La Russa said. “His fastball had some life, he’s throwing it to all four edges. And he had a nice curveball — he got over, then he put it away. Obviously, he always has that changeup, too.”
Hellickson will be faced by Texas right-hander Matt Harrison, who is making his first appearance on the mound since May of 2014. The 29-year-old is coming back from spinal fusion surgery.
The game starts at 5:05 Phoenix time, and can be heard on ESPN Phoenix 620 AM.
D-backs’ missed opportunities to reach .500 in 2015
1. April 26 – Lost 8-0 vs. Pittsburgh
Entering the contest with an 8-9 record, the D-backs were baffled by Pittsburgh starter Francisco Liriano and three relievers, who combined on a three-hit shutout.
2. May 1 – Lost 8-0 at Los Angeles Dodgers
Rubby De La Rosa gave up five runs in the second inning, and the Dodgers cruised to a win behind a strong pitching performance by Carlos Frias and three relievers, who combined on a five-hitter.
3. May 8 – Lost 6-5 vs. San Diego
After blanking the Padres 11-0 the night before to push their record to 14-15, the D-backs lost a tight one to San Diego. Will Venable’s seventh-inning RBI single off of Enrique Burgos scored Justin Upton and provided the winning margin for the Padres.
4. May 23 – Lost 9-6 vs. Chicago Cubs
Two weeks after their last opportunity to even their record, the D-backs squandered another chance against Chicago at Chase Field. It looked like Arizona would get the win, but their bullpen failed them. Oliver Perez allowed a two-run double to Jorge Soler in the eighth inning. Then Burgos served up a three-run homer to Anthony Rizzo in the ninth.
5. May 25 – Lost 3-2 in 10 innings at St. Louis
With a 21-22 record entering their Memorial Day matinee against the Cardinals, the D-backs rallied late to tie the game at 2-2 on a Mark Trumbo home run off of Kyle Siegrist in the eighth inning. But the Cardinals weren’t to be denied, winning the game on a walk-off solo shot by Jhonny Peralta in the 10th.
6. June 7 – Lost 6-3 vs. New York Mets
Arizona had won 4-of-5 to get to within a game of .500, but were once again denied. Curtis Granderson and Eric Campbell each drove in two runs for the Mets to sink the D-backs, who managed only five hits against Jacob deGrom, Hansel Robles and Jeurys Familia.
7. June 16 – Lost 4-1 at Los Angeles Angels
The June 7 loss to the Mets started a four-game skid which put the D-backs at 27-32, but once again they fought back, sweeping a three-game series from the Giants and winning the first of four straight against the Angels. But the second game in Anaheim got away from the D-backs. Albert Pujols’ two-run shot off of Jeremy Hellickson gave the Halos a 2-1 lead. They’d add two more in the eighth when David Freese clubbed a two-run homer off of Randall Delgado.
8. June 18 – Lost 7-1 vs. Los Angeles Angels
The Angels exploded for five runs in the sixth off of starter Allen Webster and reliever Josh Collmenter to sink the D-backs to 32-34.
9. June 20 – Lost 8-1 vs. San Diego Padres
For the second time, the Padres prevented Arizona from reaching the .500 mark, this time with a convincing win at Chase Field. San Diego led 4-1, then padded their lead with four runs in the top of the ninth against reliever Addison Reed, who was shipped to Triple-A Reno two days later.
10. June 23 – Lost 10-5 at Colorado Rockies
Starter Chase Anderson was staked to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning, but couldn’t hold it. The Rockies exploded for six runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by a three-run homer from Nolan Arenado and a solo shot from Wilin Rosario that chased Anderson from the game.
11. June 25 – Lost 6-4 at Colorado Rockies
Just two days later, the D-backs got another crack at an even record, only to come up short. Arizona led 2-1 through 7 1/2 innins, but Colorado had another big frame, posting five runs in the eighth off of relievers Daniel Hudson and Oliver Perez. The D-backs would creep to within two runs by scoring two of their own in the top of the ninth, but didn’t have enough to complete the late comeback as John Axford struck out Yasmany Tomas with a runner on second base to end the game.
12. July 5 – Lost 6-4 vs. Colorado Rockies
The D-backs couldn’t complete a four-game sweep of the Rockies, falling short in the finale at Chase Field. Starter Rubby De La Rosa got roughed up for four runs on six hits in the first inning, and Arizona couldn’t climb all the way out of the hole.
