It was a tough night at the ballpark for the Arizona Diamondbacks, as they found themselves on the wrong end of a classic pitchers' duel. Michael Soroka battled hard, but it was Pirates phenom Paul Skenes who stole the show, leading Pittsburgh to victory.
"Oh, boy," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo sighed during his postgame press conference. "Paul Skenes showed why he's one of the best pitchers in baseball. He went out there and executed a game plan. He wasn't just relying on his fastball. He was mixing pitches. It looked like the changeup was in play in any part of any count. And we just got beat. We got beat by a really good pitcher."
Skenes was absolutely dominant from the first pitch, retiring the first 14 batters he faced on just 49 pitches. It looked like he might be on his way to something special, but the perfect game bid ended in unusual fashion. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a slow dribbler to the left side, and Skenes' throw to first went wild. With a perfect throw, he could have recorded the out, but the no-hitter talk quickly became a footnote.
On the very next pitch, Nolan Arenado lined a single to left field, giving the Diamondbacks a glimmer of hope with a runner in scoring position. But that's as close as they would get. Skenes finished with eight innings of masterful work, completely shutting down Arizona's lineup in what MLB.com described as a "masterpiece."
As the team looks to bounce back, all eyes are on Ketel Marte. The Diamondbacks' hitting coach Joe Mather acknowledged the struggles, saying, "We've looked every which way and truth is he's been if not the unluckiest, one of the unluckiest hitters in baseball. The balls are smoking right at guys. Pitchers are not throwing him good pitches to hit a lot and he's still hitting the ball hard." Mather emphasized the importance of keeping Marte positive while ensuring his mechanics stay on track.
Meanwhile, manager Torey Lovullo is making a bold commitment to shake things up in the lineup. With the offense searching for its old spark, the Diamondbacks are hoping to turn their luck around and get back to their winning ways. For fans gearing up for the next game, make sure you're repping your team in style with the latest Diamondbacks gear—because every great comeback starts with the right mindset and the right look.