PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks jumped out to a 3-0 lead with Corbin Burnes rolling early in Thursday’s rubber match against the Tampa Bay Rays, but the team collectively let the series slip with a second straight loss in extra innings.
Junior Caminero delivered the go-ahead RBI double in the 10th inning, and Christopher Morel slammed a dagger two-run shot off J.P. Feyereisen to inflict a 7-4 loss on Arizona.
The Diamondbacks committed three errors and only came up with two hits after the fourth inning.
Now, the D-backs (14-11) will have to grind after three extra-inning games in five days against an Atlanta Braves squad coming to Chase Field on Friday fresh from an off day.
The Diamondbacks are about to start a gauntlet with five straight series against National League playoff teams from a year ago, followed by three games at the surging San Francisco Giants.
Losing two straight to the scuffling Rays while taxing the bullpen is a brutal way to enter that phase of the schedule.
“We’re a good baseball team, but when we do things like we did tonight, we put a lot of stress on ourselves,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “I’m not used to looking up there and seeing three errors. Those errors lead to extra pitches, more base runners, more run scoring potential.
“I feel like there were some opportunities for us to go out there and press into this game offensively and break it open. We just never did. The Rays are pesky and they seemed to hit a stride mid-game yesterday and walked out of here with two wins. That’s not satisfying, and I don’t think anybody in that room is satisfied either. We’re all a little bit frustrated. So we got to digest it.”
The Diamondbacks pulled ahead 3-0 in the first two innings on four hits, including RBI knocks by Josh Naylor and Alek Thomas.
From there, the offense went silent outside a Tim Tawa solo shot in the fifth inning, his third home run in five games. After Thomas’ double in the second, Arizona went 2-for-28 (.071).
Corbin Burnes’ day
Burnes, meanwhile, bamboozled the Rays’ lineup through four innings. He started the game with three perfect frames and erased a lead-off single in the fourth with a double play. It was the most dominant stretch he’s pitched as a Diamondback so far, painting the corners and drawing whiffs to produce six strikeouts.
He only needed 44 pitches to get through four in what looked prime for a deep outing.
Burnes surrendered his first run in the fifth, however, as Jose Caballero scorched an RBI double to center field after a walk.
The sixth was more precarious, as Yandy Diaz led off with a double followed by a Brandon Lowe walk.
Burnes’ day ended on an error he committed with one out and runners on the corners. He looked up before securing a tapper, the ball bounced off his glove and a run scored.
Jalen Beeks entered the game and struck out his first batter, which would have ended the inning had Burnes fielded the ball cleanly. Instead, he let in an inherited run before escaping the jam.
Burnes was only charged with one earned run in 5.1 innings, dropping his season ERA to 4.05.
“Overall, I thought Corbin was really good,” Lovullo said. “I know the play we were just talking about was the comebacker to him that ended up being a big out we didn’t collect. I understand it, but I thought Corbin did enough to win this game.”
Jalen Beeks hit by comebacker
Beeks exited the game in the seventh inning after taking a Chandler Simpson comebacker off his left arm. He made the play but walked off with the trainer. He is the lone southpaw in the D-backs’ bullpen and not someone they can afford to lose.
After the game, Lovullo said Beeks left with a forearm contusion and imaging came back negative.
“By the time I got out there, it was already swelling,” Lovullo said. “So, I was the one that made the decision.”
Why did the Diamondbacks not use a closer?
Ryne Nelson, despite two defensive errors behind him, recorded the next six outs to put the Rays on the ropes before three straight singles tied the game in the ninth.
Lovullo explained he tried to stay away from using Shelby Miller, who entered the game in relief of Nelson to record the final out in the ninth inning.
Justin Martinez, who returned from fatigue on Wednesday to make his first appearance in six days, was not available.
“It was six days down and then full throttle on back-to-back nights, just it wasn’t wasn’t fair to him,” Lovullo said. “He’ll be ready tomorrow. It was a tough pill to swallow. You wish your guy that you know is very dependable on the very back-end was available in a one-run game. But that just wasn’t the case.”
Having Nelson run through the rest of the game was optimal.
On whether he felt errors by Eugenio Suarez and Geraldo Perdomo contributed to Nelson’s troubles late, Lovullo was clear.
“It all adds up,” Lovullo said. “It changes the order, it changes who’s coming up, it changes who’s leading off, who’s not leading off, adds pitches to the pitch total for the pitcher, puts stress on the pitcher. All of it adds up.”
From the start of the fifth inning, Thursday may have been the most disheartening baseball the Diamondbacks have played this year as a unit.
The Rays have now won five straight series against the Diamondbacks dating back to 2016.
Diamondbacks next game
The D-backs begin their three-game series with the Braves on Friday at 6:40 p.m.
Zac Gallen (5.60 ERA) will start the opener for Arizona against reigning NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale (6.17 ERA).
The game will air on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
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