Defensive errors put the Diamondbacks in an early hole against the Padres

The Arizona Diamondbacks couldn’t have gotten off to a much worse start in the first inning of their regular playoff game on Friday against the San Diego Padres, and defensive errors by Ketel Marte played a key role.

The D-Backs fell behind 4-0 and starter Merrill Kelly needed 31 pitches to get three outs.

Four in the first 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qqYe3TtOQ7

– San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 28, 2024

Padres slugger Manny Machado hit a sharp one-hopper to Marte at second base, and the veteran infielder wheezed as he tried to hit it. The first round of the game scored.

An RBI single by Jackson Merrill brought D-Backs manager Torey Lovullo out of the dugout to talk to his players on the mound.

The hit apparently worked, as Kelly caused a grounder to stop Geraldo Perdomo for a possible double play in the bottom of the inning. But Marte struggled to make the turn, throwing the relay over first baseman Christian Walker and out of the game.

Another run scored on the error, and San Diego scored another run on a single by David Peralta.

However, the Diamondbacks responded when Corbin Carroll fired a solo shot for the lead in the bottom half against Yu Darvish. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. nearly tied the game with a deep fly ball to left, but he settled for a sacrifice fly.

Arizona narrowed the deficit and potentially shifted momentum when Kelly pitched a 1-2-3 second inning.

Catch the rest of the game on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports App.

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