PHOENIX r12; The Arizona Diamondbacks were not expecting perfection from closer Brad Boxberger Jarrad Davis Jersey , even though members of their front office had seen exactly that several years before.
Boxberger, back in the closerr17;s role, converted his 21st save opportunity in Arizonar17;s 3-1 victory over San Diego in the second game of a four-game series Friday. He is fifth in the league in saves, and his 84 percent conversion rate ranks near the top among his peers.
He came to Arizona after an eye-popping eyeball test. Boxberger is having the sort of success that general manager Mike Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo might have envisioned when they acquired him in a deal with Tampa Bay over the winter.
It is the sort of work they saw first-hand while in Boston during Boxbergerr17;s 41-save season with the Rays in 2015. Boxberger faced the Red Sox 11 times that season and was just about flawless. He did not allow a run while going 2-0 with six saves. He gave up five hits, all singles, and three walks while striking out 17 in 10 1/3 innings. Opposing hittersr17; slash line: .143/.143/.211.
The D-backs felt they acquired him at just the right time this offseason, after he spent the previous two seasons working through adductor, oblique and flexor muscle injuries.
r0;We felt he was on the up elevator when it came to health,r1; said Lovullo, the bench coach in Boston from 2013-16. r0;We knew a healthy Brad Boxberger is going to be a very, very good closer for us.r1;
Like Fernando Rodney last season, Boxberger has a fastball/changeup repertoire, a combination that has enabled him to log 41 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings. Unlike Rodney, there is less drama.
r0;Ir17;ve seen it very good,r1; Lovullo said, r0;and Ir17;ve seen it in live action on major league fields and Ir17;ve heard major league hitters come back to the dugout talking about it. I know it creates a lot of discomfort for hitters.r1;
Arizona left-hander Robbie Ray is scheduled to oppose San Diego right-hander Tyson Ross in the third game of the series Saturday night.
r0;There is nothing like those last three outs in the game,r1; Boxberger said r0;There is a lot of stuff that can happen. It is just a matter of being able to control that situation. Whatever happens, to be able to control it and shut the game down.
r0;The more time you do something Devon Kennard Jersey , the more comfortable you get at it. Pitching in any back-end situation is going to have its high leverage and stress situations. It is just a matter of keeping a level head and manage your ability to get the hitter out.r1;
San Diego won the first game of the series with Wil Myers getting two hits and driving in two runs, but Myers was given a start off Friday after playing 13 consecutive games following his return from the disabled list June 21. He missed 47 games with a strained muscle in his side.
Myers is hitting .261 with a homer and eight RBIs since his return, and he has four two-hit games in his last eight. He homered last Saturday, tripled Thursday and also has three walks in the last four games.
r0;Her17;s getting more and more comfortable,r1; San Diego manager Andy Green said. r0;The 3-2 walks he had (in Oakland on Wednesday) were really good signs. They were battle at-bats, and the confidence to take close borderline pitches, that they are balls. I think when guys see the ball well, they eventually start hitting the ball well. Her17;s had good swings periodically. He hasnr17;t been in his groove or his rhythm. Her17;s been solid. We are waiting for him to be spectacular.r1;
Ray, 3-1 with a 4.89 ERA, will make his third start since returning from an oblique injury. He gave up six runs and nine hits in five innings to St. Louis in his only loss Monday. The Cardinals scored four runs in the first inning.
r0;They were swinging early,r1; said Ray, who hinted that he might have been tipping his pitches. r0;I donr17;t know if they had something that they saw. I just have to do a better job.r1;
Ray is 4-4 with a 3.98 ERA in nine career starts against the Padres.
Ross (5-6, 3.78 ERA) took a no-hitter into the eighth inning of his start April 20 at Chase Field, a game the Padres won but in which he did not receive a decision. He is 4-3 with a 2.52 ERA in 14 career appearances, including 13 starts, against Arizona.
The big bats in Arizonar17;s lineup provided the power, the leadoff man the table-setting. The starting pitcher got the Diamondbacks through six innings with minimal damage, the defense had a couple of gems behind him Womens Eric Berry Jersey , and the bullpen came through again.
As wins go, this one could not have followed the game plan any better.
David Peralta hit two solo homers, Matt Koch pitched six effective innings in a combined four-hitter and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the New York Mets 6-3 on Thursday night.
r1;A pretty well-played game start to finish,r1; Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. r1;Thatr17;s the way you think about things before the game.r1;
Koch (5-3) gave up solo homers to Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto, but only one other hit.
Peralta and Paul Goldschmidt hit solo homers off Jason Vargas (2-5) to help give Arizona a 3-1 lead early. Amed Rosario pulled the Mets within a run on solo homer off Archie Bradley in the eighth inning, but Peralta hit his 14th of the season off Jacob Rhame in the bottom half.
Jake Lamb added a solo shot later in the eighth and Brian Boxberger worked a perfect ninth for his 15th save in NL West-leading Diamondbacksr17; sixth win in seven games.
The Mets, like the Diamondbacks, had a strong start to the season, followed by a lull. While Arizona is back on track, winning 12 of 16, New York is not. The Mets failed to score more than three runs for the 10th straight game and lost for the 10th time in 11 games.
r1;You canr17;t sit there and think they are never going to come around,r1; Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. r1;We go out there every day and try to do our best to prepare them and they do the same thing.r1;
Nimmo at least got the Metsr17; trip to the desert started off right, hitting a solo homer in the first inning that barely cleared the wall in right. Conforto hit another solo shot off Koch in the sixth, pulling New York to 3-2.
That was about all they could manage against Koch, who allowed two runs before being replaced Yoshihisa Hirano to start the seventh.
r1;The command was pretty good, the cutter better, the curveball when I needed it, the changeup was off and on a little bit Customized Cincinnati Bengals Jerseys ,r1; Koch said. r1;But for the most part it was good.r1;
Vargas has pitched better since a shaky start to the season, going 2-1 with a 2.50 ERA over his last four starts. He was moved up in the rotation to start against Arizona while Steven Matz deals with a blister on his throwing hand.
Vargas got through five innings against the Diamondbacks, giving up Ketel Marter17;s RBI single in the second inning, Goldschmidtr17;s solo homer in the third and Peraltar17;s leadoff homer in the fourth
Vargas allowed three runs on five hits with five strikeouts.
r1;I made some good pitches, got out of some jams I out myself into a little bit, but I felt I threw the ball well,r1; Vargas said.
HIRANO DOMINATING
Hirano has been dominated for the Diamondbacks this season, posting a 1.50 ERA in 32 games. Her17;s been lights out recently, pushing his scoreless streak to 18 games (15 2/3 innings) with a perfect seventh inning.
Hirano reminds Lovullo of fellow Japanese pitcher Koji Uehara, who pitched for the Boston Red Sox while he was the bench coach there.
r1;They do remind me of one another because theyr17;re fearless, attack the zone, can make pitches in both corners of the zone,r1; Lovullo said. r1;They understand and both have outstanding splits.r1;
DIAMONDBACKS MOVES
The Diamondbacks reinstated RHP Jorge De La Rosa (Achilles bursitis) from the 10-day disabled list and optioned RHP Silvino Bracho to Triple-A Reno. De La Rosa was 0-2 with a 3.54 ERA in 27 games before going on the DL.
Bracho was 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in 11 games with Arizona.
TRAINERr17;S TABLE
Mets: 1B Wilmer Flores went 2 for 3 with an RBI for Single-A St. Lucie Wednesday night, his second rehab game since going on the 10-day DL with a sore lower back on May 28. r30; OF Jay Bruce was held out of the lineup after aggravating a hip injury Wednesday against Atlanta.
Diamondbacks: OF Steven Souza will continue throwing take live batting practice on Friday as he works his way back from a strained right pectoral muscle.
UP NEXT
Arizona RHP Zack Godley is 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA in five home starts this season headed into Fridayr17;s game against the Mets and RHP Seth Lugo.
