D-Backs stun Dodgers with walkoff victory

The Arizona Diamondbacks capped off a thrilling comeback Thursday night at Chase Field, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Ketel Marte’s dramatic walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. The victory allowed Arizona to salvage a split of the four-game series against their National League West rivals.

For much of the evening, the game belonged to the pitchers. Arizona starter Ryne Nelson turned in one of his best performances of the season, limiting the Dodgers to two runs over seven strong innings. On the other side, Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski held the Diamondbacks scoreless through six innings while keeping Arizona’s offense off balance.

Los Angeles broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning when Ryan Ward delivered an RBI double and rookie Dalton Rushing followed with an RBI single, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 advantage. The Diamondbacks managed just a handful of scoring opportunities through seven innings and appeared headed toward another frustrating loss.

Everything changed in the eighth.

Corbin Carroll ignited the rally with a solo home run to right field, cutting the deficit to 2-1 and energizing the Chase Field crowd. After Gabriel Moreno drew a walk and Ryan Waldschmidt singled, Geraldo Perdomo lined a clutch RBI single to center field to score Moreno and tie the game at 2-2.

The stage was then set for Marte. Leading off the bottom of the ninth against Dodgers closer Tanner Scott, Marte attacked the first pitch he saw and launched it 431 feet into the seats in left field. The blast sent the crowd into a frenzy and teammates racing out of the dugout to celebrate Arizona’s walk-off victory.

“It’s a great feeling anytime you can win a game like that,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said after the game. “Our guys never quit. Even when we were down late, I felt like we were one swing away from changing the game.” Marte, who entered the ninth inning hitless on the night, delivered when Arizona needed him most.

“We got a lot of talent here,” Marte said recently when discussing the club’s confidence. “They got to make 27 outs. I believe in my guys. I believe in myself, so we got a good team.”

Carroll finished the night with three hits, including his game-changing homer, while Perdomo and Waldschmidt added two hits apiece. Arizona collected 11 hits overall compared to six for Los Angeles.

The Diamondbacks bullpen also came through in the late innings. Paul Sewald worked a scoreless ninth inning despite allowing a double and earned the victory, improving his record to 2-4 on the season. Tanner Scott was charged with the loss after surrendering Marte’s game-winning homer.

The win moved Arizona to 33-29 and provided a much-needed boost heading into its next series. More importantly, it showed the fight that has become a trademark of this Diamondbacks club.

As Lovullo put it after another dramatic comeback, “I felt like the storm was coming for sure.” And on Thursday night, that storm arrived in the form of Ketel Marte’s bat.

Final Score: Dodgers 2, Diamondbacks 3

Winning Pitcher: Paul Sewald (2-4)

Losing Pitcher: Tanner Scott (1-3)

Player of the Game: Ketel Marte — Walk-off home run, 431 feet