PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo’s frustration was evident after another game he felt his club could have and should have won on Monday against the New York Mets.
A comeback bid was too little, too late for the Diamondbacks, as they rallied for three runs in the eighth inning but fell 5-4 in the series opener.
“We expect to win those games. We talk about living in that space and going out there and executing at a high level,” Lovullo said.
“We’re playing like we’re 20% confused and I can’t figure it out. We are talking to these guys. They show us they can do it, but the consistency just hasn’t been there.”
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The D-backs suffered a couple tough breaks late, which paired with a lack of execution.
In the eighth inning, Mets reliever Dedniel Núñez — in his season debut — walked three straight hitters. Josh Naylor lined an RBI single with one out to bring up Eugenio Suarez with the bases loaded against Reed Garrett. Queue the flashbacks to Yankee Stadium last month, when Suarez hit a go-ahead grand slam.
Suarez nearly did it again, slamming a ball 412 feet to center field but not quite high enough to get over the line. It would have cleared the wall in 21 of 30 parks, per Statcast. Two runs scored, but Suarez had to scamper back to first, as Naylor — representing the tying run — stopped at second.
“I’m sure he thought the ball was going to be caught, potentially tag up at first base and get to second base,” Lovullo explained. “But there’s a technique we got to follow and be a little bit better to get to third base with one out.”
Ultimately, the Diamondbacks failed at the plate to bring in the tying run, anyway, although who knows how approaches change there with runners on second and third. Gabriel Moreno struck out on four pitches and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. popped out.
Eugenio Suárez cuts the @Dbacks deficit to 1 run! pic.twitter.com/JNUhKQikvW
— MLB (@MLB) May 6, 2025
Fortunately for Arizona, Tommy Henry came to play and kept the deficit at one, even when facing Juan Soto with a runner on third base. Henry was a bright spot for the D-backs with 2.2 scoreless innings in emergency relief with a taxed bullpen.
Alek Thomas caught stealing
Alek Thomas led off the bottom of the ninth having reached on an error. With Mets closer Edwin Diaz being a historically easy target to steal bases against, Thomas took off for second ahead of Geraldo Perdomo, Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte.
Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez recorded the fastest pop time to second base of his career at 1.82 seconds, according to Sarah Langs. His slightly off-target throw perfectly allowed shortstop Francisco Lindor to apply the tag on Thomas’ foot in time. Or so was the call.
1.82 sec pop time for Francisco Alvarez here
That’s the fastest pop time to 2B on a CS in his career
MLB average pop time to 2B is 2.0 sec t.co/fwtkAkqkxM
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) May 6, 2025
The play is very close, and after the D-backs challenged, Thomas can clearly be seen saying, “no way,” over at second base.
The call stood, however, a critical out for the Mets to close the door ahead of Arizona’s dangerous hitters.
“What I felt was that I was safe,” Thomas said. “I’m looking at the couple of different angles of the replay. I feel like I could see it one way and then maybe see it the other but definitely more of my way which is safe.
“I think if the call was safe initially and then they go and review it … I feel like I would have been safe that way. So I guess not enough evidence to overturn it, so I guess I got to get a better jump.”
Lovullo was critical of Thomas’ jump, calling it, “a super, super late jump,” adding, “Once again it comes down to execution, we just didn’t execute.”
Thomas added, “I don’t have the most confidence in stealing and I should.”
Perdomo — who squared around to bunt before the caught stealing — flew out, and Diaz struck out Carroll to end the game.
The Diamondbacks have dropped three of their last four games and eight of 12. Of those eight, five were one-run or extra-inning losses.
Carroll led off the first with a home run to put the D-backs ahead 1-0, but Mets starter Griffin Canning delivered five scoreless frames from there.
New York’s Pete Alonso put the Mets ahead with a two-run shot in the fourth off starter Ryne Nelson, and Lindor broke the game open with a three-run shot off Ryan Thompson to go ahead 5-1 in the seventh.
Thompson’s inning got off to an odd start, as Alvarez hit a roller toward Marte at second. Thompson got a glove on it, creating a difficult situation for Marte. Marte bare-handed the baseball and tossed it to Naylor at first, who did not come up with it cleanly on the stretch. Three batters later, Lindor did damage.
Ryne Nelson starts for Corbin Burnes
The Diamondbacks pushed Monday’s original probable Corbin Burnes to Saturday due to right shoulder inflammation. Nelson filled in for his first start of the season, as the D-backs kept him in a long relief role out of spring training.
Nelson shut out the Mets through three innings, helped by a Carroll outfield assist at the plate.
Tyrone Taylor attempted to score on a fly ball to right, and Carroll fired a one-hopper right on the money. Carroll has four outfield assists this season.
95.6 mph! Corbin Carroll ?
Tied for the Diamondbacks’ second-fastest tracked OF assist under Statcast (2015), behind only:
8/22/16 Mitch Haniger: 95.7 mph
Tied with 9/23/16 Socrates Brito t.co/uMQ4Cx9oB8
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) May 6, 2025
Nelson walked Soto to lead off the fourth, and Alonso crushed a cutter up in the zone 425 feet.
Nelson finished with 4.1 innings pitched and two earned runs on three hits, four walks and a hit-by-pitch. It wasn’t the smoothest outing and he benefited from a pair of double plays, but he kept them in the game early while working on a pitch count.
“Body and arm feel really good,” Nelson said. “Just not as crisp as I would have liked it. Falling behind guys and not entirely executing at the level I expect of myself. When you’re pitching like that, you’re going to give up some damage sooner or later.”
Diamondbacks next game
The series continues on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. with Zac Gallen (4.93 ERA) starting against Mets left-hander David Peterson (3.06 ERA).
Arizona won the second and third games of its set at Citi Field last week. The D-backs have not won a season series against the Mets since 2017.
Catch the game on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
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