The Arizona Diamondbacks dropped the series opener to the New York Mets on Tuesday, falling 4-3 in extra innings after squandering a late lead. Leading 3-2 into the eighth, the D-backs watched the game slip away as the bullpen allowed tying and winning runs against Jonathan Loaisiga and Paul Sewald.
This felt like a painfully familiar script for a team built on thin margins: a solid starting pitching effort undermined by an anemic offense and late-inning bullpen trouble. Anyone who has followed this roster closely knows these issues all too well.
The D-backs’ entire offensive output came in the fifth inning. After a successful challenge overturned a third-strike call on Adrian Del Castillo with the bases loaded, he lined the next pitch into right field for a two-run single. Nolan Arenado followed with an RBI double to give Arizona a 3-2 lead. That was it. For the rest of the game — including a brutal extra-inning frame — the offense went silent.
Arizona finished a dismal 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. They repeatedly stranded opportunities, leaving runners on base in key spots and failing to capitalize when it mattered most. Two runs simply aren’t enough in most games, no matter how well the pitching performs.
Zac Gallen delivered a quality start, tossing five innings and allowing just one earned run. He navigated a bumpy first inning in which the Mets’ first three batters reached base, escaping with only one run thanks to a timely strikeout and a pair of flyouts. Gallen leaned heavily on his cutter, which generated swings and misses and helped him settle in effectively.
The defense was serviceable but far from sharp, with the cold, inclement weather playing a role in a misplayed flyball by Corbin Carroll. In the eighth, Geraldo Perdomo had a chance to make a difference on a hot-shot grounder off Brett Baty’s bat (clocked at 100 mph). Shaded properly and positioned nearby, Perdomo couldn’t come up with the play. It wasn’t routine by any means, but it was a gettable ball that could have preserved the lead. Arenado had another play in this game where he wasn’t able to come up with the ball, it wasnt an error like the 2 he already has, however it was a play the Arenado of a few years ago makes no problem.
In the 10th inning, the D-backs failed to advance the automatic runner from second base. Nolan Arenado hit a shallow blooper that didn’t move the runner, Illdemaro Vargas lined out, and Tim Tawa struck out — continuing his early-season struggles. With injuries already thinning the lineup, questions about playing time and production loom larger.
Once the visiting team fails to score in the top of the extra inning, the odds shift heavily against them — especially against a fly-ball pitcher like Sewald. Still, the ending stung. Sewald got ahead 0-2 on Ronny Mauricio but grooved a 90 mph fastball right down the heart of the plate (dead middle-middle). Mauricio singled it into right field to score Francisco Lindor with the walk-off run. Sewald’s velocity sat at 89-90 mph all night, noticeably below his usual 91-92, and he relied almost exclusively on fastballs.
While Sewald has converted his first few save chances this season, a pitch like that in a 0-2 count in a high-leverage spot is concerning. It’s one thing to get beat with premium stuff; it’s another to lose on a hittable, poorly located fastball in a must-execute moment.
The lineup simply lacks the depth to overcome these kinds of offensive blackouts. The bullpen, meanwhile, continues to show vulnerability in tight, late-game situations. Wasting a strong outing from Gallen against a Mets team expected to contend all year feels especially costly — games like this could matter in the standings down the stretch.
For the D-backs to have sustained success, the offense must find a way to produce consistently with runners on base. Otherwise, nights like this — where good pitching goes unrewarded — will become far too common. Here’s hoping for a much-needed spark the rest of the series.
