Arizona Diamondbacks unable to deliver key hit in loss to Texas Rangers

June 25, 4:38 AMPhoenix Sports ExaminerTom Kessler

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Texas Rangers starting pitcher Vicente Padilla throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning Wednesday night at Chase Field in Phoenix. (AP photo/Rick Scuteri)

The melancholy refrain of lost opportunity echoed throughout Chase Field again on Wednesday, as the Arizona Diamondbacks fell 2-1 to the visiting Texas Rangers.

With their latest defeat, the D-backs (30-42) not only squandered another brilliant pitching performance by Dan Haren, but they also failed to capitalize upon several scoring chances against Texas starter Vicente Padilla.

“We just never could get the big hit, the clutch hit at the right time,” Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch said. “We did get runners on base. We were in a position to score runs, and then we just didn’t hit them in.”

Arizona put the leadoff batter on base four times in the first five innings against Padilla. The Diamondbacks managed to score just one run, when Felipe Lopez grounded a single into center field with one out in the bottom of the fifth to drive in Miguel Montero, who began the inning with a base hit to left.

Gerardo Parra lined a one-out triple to right field for the D-backs in the sixth. With Parra representing the potential tying run in a 2-1 game, Padilla escaped the jam by striking out Tony Clark and retiring Eric Byrnes on a groundout to the second baseman.

“Padilla did a good job of changing his rhythm, changing his tempo,” Hinch said. “He mixed in a ton of off-speed later in the game. He was throwing predominantly fastballs early.”

Padilla (6-3, 4.48 ERA) allowed six hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out three.

“Our game plan was to get a good pitch to hit and attack him early, especially if he was throwing a lot of fastballs,” Hinch said. “We just didn’t do any damage.”

The Diamondbacks did not fare any better against relievers Frank Francisco and C.J. Wilson.

Stephen Drew led off the bottom of the eighth with a double to right-center field off Francisco. The Arizona rally fizzled, however, when Justin Upton fouled out to the first baseman, Mark Reynolds struck out and Parra flied out to left.

Wilson set down the side in order in the ninth, striking out pinch hitter Chris Young to end the game and earn his seventh save.

Haren (6-5, 2.25 ERA) was charged with another hard-luck loss for the Diamondbacks. The ace right-hander allowed two runs on four hits in seven innings. He struck out eight and walked one.

“He competed and kept us in the game and kept fighting and clawing to put up zeroes,” Hinch said about Haren, who allowed one run in the second inning and another in the third. “Even when he got some runners on base he reached down a little deeper and found ways to get out without it hurting us. So I was proud of the way he battled. He went deeper in the game than it looked like he was going to be able to go early on. To get through seven like that, (it was) a pretty impressive outing.”

Haren has allowed three runs or fewer in 14 of his 15 starts this season. In 12 of those starts, he has given up two runs or fewer.

Haren has allowed a total of nine runs in his five losses, but the Diamondbacks have scored just three in those five games.