Arizona Diamondbacks at Cleveland Guardians

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
ARI	0	0	0	0	2	0	7	1	2	12	16	0
CLE	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	1	8	14	1

Drake, the rookie righty Arizona landed as the headliner in last summer's Merrill Kelly trade, drew a tough assignment in Parker Messick — Cleveland's All-Star lefty, who came in with 8 wins and a 2.57 ERA. Messick had taken the loss in his last outing against Tampa Bay despite 7.2 strong innings, and the Guardians needed a return to form on the mound at the 7:15 PM ET first pitch.

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FINAL

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ML

Total

Diamondbacks(58-52)

WWWLL

12

+1.5-130+160o8.5+111

Guardians(56-55)

LWLWP

8

-1.5+127-163u8.5-111

Best BetDiamondbacks +148

Postgame

Arizona backed up the case in a big way, breaking the game open with a 7-run 7th and cruising to a 12-8 win. The hot-bats bull case was dead on — this lineup piled up 16 hits and never let Cleveland's offense catch up despite a late push. The Messick risk we flagged mattered plenty through 6 innings, right up until Arizona's lineup did exactly what its recent form promised.

Pregame

Arizona's the more dangerous team right now — 3 straight wins, a wild card spot to defend, and a lineup that's clicking while Cleveland's has gone cold. Messick gives the Guardians a puncher's chance on the mound, but he's already proven this year that even a near-shutout start isn't a guarantee with this offense behind him.

Arizona's rotation is a mess right now — Zac Gallen, Corbin Burnes, Michael Soroka and Ryne Nelson are all on the shelf, which is exactly how a guy with 4 career starts ends up on the mound in a meaningful August game. The lineup isn't whole either, with Jordan Lawlar, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Tommy Troy all out. That the D-backs kept winning anyway says plenty about the depth of this roster, and it's a big reason the moneyline price on Arizona looked worth grabbing.

Kohl Drake

(0-1)·5.40 ERA

Jul 26 @ Nationals

ND

4.0IP

4ER

1K

2BB

64P

08/01 Lineup

Parker Messick

(9-7)·2.59 ERA

Jul 26 @ Rays

L

7.2IP

1ER

6K

0BB

94P

08/01 Lineup

This was the 2nd meeting of the set, with Arizona having already taken the opener a day earlier. Cleveland's offense had been streaky, alternating hot nights with total silence, and Messick's brilliance had masked some real cracks in a lineup that needed to be better than it had been.

Arizona Diamondbacks

(58-52)

Jul 31W@ Guardians4-1

Jul 29W@ Pirates3-0

Jul 28W@ Pirates8-7

Jul 27L@ Pirates2-3

Jul 26L@ Nationals7-10

Cleveland Guardians

(56-55)

Jul 31Lvs Diamondbacks1-4

Jul 29W@ Reds6-1

Jul 28L@ Reds0-2

Jul 28W@ Reds6-5

Jul 27P@ Reds0-0

For 6 innings this looked like the pitcher's duel on paper suggested it might not be. Cleveland scratched out 2 early runs and Arizona was held quiet until a 2-run 5th, and then the game detonated. The Diamondbacks strung together a 7-run 7th inning that buried the Guardians, tacked on more in the 8th and 9th, and had enough cushion to survive a 5-run Cleveland rally in the bottom of the 8th that made it briefly interesting again.

Sixteen hits from an Arizona lineup that's supposed to be shorthanded is the story here — Torey Lovullo's group is finding ways to score even with half its outfield and rotation on the injured list. Cleveland's own injury report is thin by comparison, with reliever Shawn Armstrong back off the IL, but a shaky bullpen night undid whatever margin Messick had built for his team.

Arizona Diamondbacks

(13)

• 10-Day-ILJordan Lawlar (LF) — Lawlar (hamstring) has resumed all baseball activity and is nearly running at full speed, MLB.com reports.07/25
• 10-Day-ILLourdes Gurriel Jr. (LF) — Gurriel isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against St. Louis.07/18
• 10-Day-ILTommy Troy (LF) — Manager Torey Lovullo said Friday that Troy (shoulder) is expected to remain out for roughly 3-to-4 weeks, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.07/17
• 15-Day-ILMichael Soroka (SP) — Soroka (glute) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Reno on Tuesday, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports.07/31
• 15-Day-ILZac Gallen (SP) — Gallen (elbow) was given permission to begin throwing and has thrown twice this week, MLB.com reports.07/25
• 15-Day-ILDrey Jameson (RP) — The Diamondbacks recalled Jameson from Triple-A Reno on Saturday.07/22
• 60-Day-ILJustin Martinez (RP) — Martinez (elbow) is expected to begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Visalia next week, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.07/31
• 60-Day-ILA.J. Puk (RP) — Manager Torey Lovullo said Saturday that MRI results on Puk's left shoulder revealed that his shoulder capsule hasn't fully healed, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.07/18
• 60-Day-ILRyne Nelson (SP) — Nelson (elbow) will begin a throwing program Saturday or Sunday, Alex D'Agostino of SI.com reports.07/18
• 60-Day-ILAndrew Saalfrank (RP) — Saalfrank (shoulder) has begun a throwing program, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.07/18
• 60-Day-ILCorbin Burnes (SP) — Burnes (elbow) began a throwing program July 10 and felt good following the session, MLB.com reports.07/13
• 60-Day-ILCristian Mena (RP) — Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Monday that Mena underwent surgery on his right shoulder and will be sidelined for the rest of the season, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.06/01
• 60-Day-ILBlake Walston (SP) — Walston (elbow) paused his rehab program earlier in the season, but he was expected to start building back up around the middle of May, MLB.com reports.06/01

Cleveland Guardians

(1)

• 15-Day-ILShawn Armstrong (RP) — The Guardians reinstated Armstrong (groin) from the 15-day injured list Monday.07/25

Messick is still going to finish this year in the Rookie of the Year conversation no matter what happened in this one outing — he's been that good all season. But nights like this are a reminder that even an ace can get hit, and that Arizona's lineup, patchwork or not, is a genuine problem for anyone on the mound right now.