D-backs get 'character builder' win in SF

SAN FRANCISCO -- Would you believe the D-backs have won more games against the Giants so far in 2022 than they did all last year?

It's a low bar, as Monday night's 4-3 win was the third time Arizona beat San Francisco this season. But the D-backs have only played the Giants four times in 2022, and as the 2021 D-backs can attest, anything is better than going 2-17 against a division rival.

"We've lost some very, very tough games, very emotional games," manager Torey Lovullo said. "I know last year we came close, but we couldn't get the job done, so I think we've erased that."

"I think we were probably 2-17 against a lot of teams last year," quipped ?Merrill Kelly?, who tossed seven solid frames to earn the win. "Each year is different, and you just try to forget about last year as much as you can, and treat each game differently than the one before."

Not only that, but the D-backs beat the Giants at Oracle Park for the first time since Sept. 4, 2020. Arizona had lost 12 straight games in San Francisco -- and it easily could have been 13 straight losses if the eighth inning had gone a little differently on Monday.

"I think we stood up to a couple of challenges there in the eighth inning," Lovullo said. "We got out of that inning with a lead, and it was one of those moments where it was a big character builder for us."

The D-backs entered the frame with a 4-1 lead, but thanks to an uncharacteristic outing from Arizona's lone All-Star representative, Joe Mantiply, the Giants pulled within one and had the tying run in scoring position. Mantiply has allowed just eight earned runs all season, but four of those now belong to the Giants.

Enter Noé Ramirez.

The right-hander created a little extra pressure for himself, walking the first batter he faced to load the bases with one out. But from there, Ramirez buckled down.

With Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford at the plate, Ramirez induced a sharp grounder to first baseman Christian Walker. Rather than getting the easy out at first and allowing the tying run to score, Walker spun and threw to Geraldo Perdomo at second base. Perdomo quickly stepped on the bag and fired the ball to Ramirez, who was covering first base, just in time to retire Crawford for the third out.

It's a play that pitchers practice often, Ramirez said, but it was exhilarating to make it happen for real.

"When it actually does happen, it's kind of like, 'Oh my God, it's happening,'" Ramirez said. "It seems like such a simple, basic play that happens all the time, but it really doesn't, and when it happens you're just like, 'Oh my God, it's my time to shine.'"

Just as the momentum had surged in the Giants' favor, it began to shift back toward the D-backs in the blink of an eye. For Ramirez, that ebb and flow is just part of the thrill of pitching in the late innings.

"Those are the moments you want," he said. "It's just such an adrenaline that you can't really compare to anything. You just dream of those ones, to be honest."

As much as Ramirez enjoyed it, it may have been even more fun for Kelly to watch from the dugout.

"I was biting my nails for sure," Kelly said. "[Darin] Ruf has a little dinker infield hit and then [Wilmer Flores] hits one off the bag -- those are kind of the things you're like, 'All right, well what else is going to go wrong?' … Noé was nails and got that last one."

Sometimes the first win is the hardest to get after a losing stretch, just as the D-backs have experienced at Oracle Park over the last couple of seasons. They've gotten over the hump, and now they're ready to leave the bad times in the past.

"We've talked about setting a new standard," Lovullo said, "going out and playing our game, and not really concerning ourselves with where we're at.

"We've got a lot to prove to this entire league, especially the NL West, and I think today was a good statement."