Phillies rally against D-backs looking for 4th straight win, but fall after walkoff HR in 9th inning, 3-2
PHOENIX (CBS/AP) -- A Phillies rally from a 2-0 deficit was spoiled out in Arizona on Friday night, as a D-backs rookie took reliever Jeff Hoffman deep for his first big league homer — and a walk-off win.
Adrian Del Castillo hit the winning homer in just his second game in the majors, hammering the first pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Arizona Diamondbacks a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Earlier, with two outs in the top of the eighth inning, Johan Rojas knocked an RBI double, scoring a hustling Nick Castellanos from first and tying the game at 2-2.
That set up Del Castillo's ninth-inning heroics. He jumped all over a 97 mph fastball from Hoffman (3-2), launching it deep into the right-field seats. He was mobbed at home plate by his teammates while a crowd of nearly 38,000 roared.
The Diamondbacks took a 1-0 lead in the first when Del Castillo hit a looping RBI single to left center. Joc Pederson made it 2-0 in the third with a solo homer to right off Phillies starter Zack Wheeler, which was his 19th long ball of the season.
Arizona's Ryne Nelson threw 7 1/3 innings Friday night, giving up just three hits and two runs, walking one and striking out nine.
Meanwhile, Nelson put on quite a display of strike throwing, retiring the first 12 batters he faced and throwing first-pitch strikes to the first 17 batters. At one point in the sixth inning, he had thrown 51 strikes and just 10 balls.
Bryce Harper finally got to Nelson in the seventh, driving an opposite field homer to left field for his 26th homer of the year to cut it to 2-1.
"He's in a good spot right now," Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.
Wheeler gave up two runs on seven hits over six innings. The right-hander walked two and struck out eight in his 17th quality start of the season. No pitcher in MLB has more quality starts than Wheeler — and Aaron Nola, who gets the start Saturday, is right behind him with 15, tied with San Francisco's Logan Webb.
A quality start is when a pitcher goes at least six innings while allowing three or fewer runs.
Turning it over to the bullpen, Tanner Banks and Matt Strahm held the Diamondbacks off and pitched an inning each, giving up no runs before Hoffman took over for the ninth with the hopes of taking it to extra innings - and a chance at the resurging Phillies' fourth-straight win.
On Thursday night, the Fightins won their first series opener since the All-Star break. It was also their third straight win.
Del Castillo finished with three hits and two RBIs. He was called up this week after starting catcher Gabriel Moreno went down with a groin injury in Cleveland. In 100 games this season for Triple-A Reno, Del Castillo hit .319 with 24 homers and 70 RBIs.
"You couldn't ask for any greater moment for a young player," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. "I get so excited for the players coming up from player development. I felt like I was 18 years old again for a few minutes."
Justin Martinez (5-3) pitched the ninth, getting the victory with the D-backs' seventh walk-off win of the year.
Nelson might have been pitching for his job in the starting rotation. Merrill Kelly is expected to return from injury this weekend, giving the D-backs six starting pitchers including Zac Gallen, Jordan Montgomery, Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez.
Lovullo said he's not going with a six-man rotation so someone's got to move to the bullpen. The manager said he's not ready to make a decision.
"I just try to go out there, compete, and do whatever I can to make their decision as hard as it can be," Nelson said.
MAKING MOVES
Diamondbacks: Called up RHP Scott McGough and optioned RHP Slade Cecconi to Triple-A Reno.
Phillies: OF Austin Hays (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day IL and LHP Kolby Allard was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. OF Cal Stevenson and RHP Max Lazar were promoted from Triple-A. 1B Darick Hall and RHP Max Castillo were designated for assignment.
UP NEXT
The D-backs will start RHP Zac Gallen (9-5, 3.75 ERA) on Saturday night. The Phillies counter with RHP Aaron Nola (11-5, 3.54 ERA).
