David Peralta
Tomas' walk-off gives D-backs needed win
David Peralta

Tomas' walk-off gives D-backs needed win

Published Apr. 9, 2016 1:28 a.m. ET

PHOENIX -- A night after their manager said he was embarrassed by their play, the Arizona Diamondbacks put together their best game of what had been a rough season-opening homestand.

Yasmany Tomas singled home Chris Owings with two outs in the ninth inning and the Diamondbacks rallied to hand the Chicago Cubs their first loss of the season, 3-2 Friday night.

"That was a tough pitch to hit," Arizona manager Chip Hale said. "That was about Adam's apple-high and he got on top. He has the ability to hit really, really good pitcher's pitches".

The victory came on the heels of a 14-6 Cubs win in the series opener Thursday night.

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Welington Castillo singled off ex-Diamondbacks starter Trevor Cahill (0-1) in the ninth and Owings, the pinch runner, took second on a groundout. Tomas singled to left and Owings raced home well ahead of the throw.

Jean Segura had three hits, including two doubles, to become the first Diamondbacks player to open a season with five multihit games. Paul Goldschmidt singled Segura home twice, the second time off Pedro Strop to tie it at 2 with two outs in the eighth.

The Cubs decided to pitch to Goldschmidt rather than to intentionally walk the Diamondbacks slugger.

Catcher David Ross said the pitch was supposed to be down and away.

"I felt really strongly about Stropy right there," Chicago manager Joe Maddon said. "He got a pitch in the wrong spot and the guy is a good hitter."

Brad Ziegler (1-0) pitched a perfect ninth for the victory.

"You can't be an oil painting every night," Maddon said. "We worked good at-bats, we saw a lot of pitches again. The grinding mentally of the at-bat that was there with the entire group was good. They just got out of some stuff and that is how this game is played sometimes."

The Cubs' offense cooled off after piling up 29 runs in their first three games. Both Chicago runs came without a hit in the fourth inning off Robbie Ray. The Arizona left-hander walked four of the first five batters he faced in the inning, his only walks of the night.

Ray and Chicago starter Jason Hammel both went six innings and allowed four hits apiece. Ray's four walks in the third were his only ones of the game.

The Cubs' loss came after they learned earlier in the day that their young slugger Kyle Schwarber would be out for the season after tearing two knee ligaments in an outfield collision Thursday night.

Hammel gave up two hits to start the game, then didn't allow another until the sixth inning, when Segura singled, stole second, went to third on a fly out and scored on Goldschmidt's single. Chicago's two runs came on a bases-loaded walk and fielder's choice groundout.

The Diamondbacks pulled off a strange double play in which five players touched the ball.

With Jason Heyward on first and Dexter Fowler at third, Anthony Rizzo hit a sharp grounder to first baseman Goldschmidt, who threw to catcher Castillo, catching Fowler in a rundown. Fowler was tagged out by shortstop Nick Ahmed, who threw to right fielder David Peralta covering first. Rizzo, trying to get back to the bag, was tagged out by Peralta.

For those keeping score, that's a 3-2-5-2-6-9 double play.

Manager Joe Maddon said the Cubs have the versatility and depth to have several options to play left field now that Schwarber is out. Jorge Soler was in left Friday night. Maddon said Tommy La Stella also is a candidate, and Rizzo and 3B Kris Bryant could shift to the outfield from time to time.

Cubs: Maddon said he did know when or where Schwarber would undergo surgery. ... Maddon says utilityman Javier Baez (left thumb contusion) has been swinging a bat and could come off the disabled list during the Cubs' upcoming six-game homestand.

RHP Zack Greinke (0-1) looks to bounce back from his awful opening-day Arizona debut (seven earned runs in four innings, including four home runs) and RHP Kyle Hendricks makes his first start of the season for the Cubs in the third game of a four-game series.

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