Sports

Diamondbacks' Sewald blows save, but bats deliver walk-off win over A's

Arizona Republic · Jul 22, 2026 14:22 · 7 min read

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Max Kepler (right) celebrates with Nolan Arenado after hitting a three run home run in the first inning against the Athletics at Chase Field in Phoenix, on July 21, 2026.

The Arizona Diamondbacks lost a late three-run lead, but edged the Athletics, 6-5 in 10 innings, on Tuesday, July 21, at Chase Field.

The Diamondbacks let a three-run lead slip away in the late innings on Tuesday, July 21.

They couldn't get a win for the starting pitcher, lefty Kohl Drake, in his major league debut and fell behind for the first time in the top of the 10th inning. But they walked off the diamond at Chase Field with a 6-5 win in extra innings, thanks to bases-loaded singles from Nolan Arenado and Ildemaro Vargas.

"You go into the ninth inning, you're one strike from closing out a game and the pattern happens the way it's supposed to," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. "And everything is going as good as you can possibly imagine, and then this game will rip your heart out. It just shows you can never take anything for granted.

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"We got flatlined there. No doubt about it, and the next thing you know, we're down a run. But the guys got strong, they got stubborn and they decided to get really patient at the plate."

Arenado blooped a single to center field to tie the game at 5, and Vargas swung at a high pitch and somehow got the ball out of the infield to drive in Gabriel Moreno with the winning run.

"We needed this game, and in truth I'm really happy," Vargas told the Diamondbacks TV broadcast in Spanish after the game. "I was always ready for the fastball. I can make contact with it well. It was important to hit the ball in the hole."

Lovullo hoped Drake could give the Diamondbacks pitching staff some innings, and Drake responded with five solid ones to line himself up for a win. But Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald couldn't protect a two-run lead and allowed the Athletics to tie it in the top of the ninth.

The A's scored on a sacrifice fly in the 10th to take their only lead of the game.

Sewald, now 23 for 25 in save opportunities, has allowed four earned runs combined over his past three outings. Kevin Ginkel (4-3) pitched the 10th inning to earn the win.

"He's got a really good two-pitch mix," Lovullo said of Sewald. "I think he just threw three pitches the same velocity, the same location."

Max Kepler’s three-run, first-inning home run had the Diamondbacks ahead, 3-0. But they couldn't hold the lead.

In the bottom of the 10th, with Corbin Carroll starting the inning at second base, A's fans longing for the Bay Area days were chanting "Let's go Oakland!" But the Diamondbacks drew two walks to load the bases and set up the heroics from Arenado and Vargas.

Drake, who turned 26 on July 17, wasn’t flashy. But with his parents and family members looking on from the seats, he used a five-pitch mix to keep the A's off balance just enough to get outs and avoid giving up multiple runs. Drake (1-0) allowed a run on four hits in five innings and had two walks and five strikeouts.

"Five innings, one earned run, I'd take that any day of the week," Drake said.

Losing a chance at a win is just part of the game, Drake said.

"Hopefully the next outing I'll be able to go out there and get a win. That's what the team was able to do (Tuesday)."

In the first inning, Kepler launched a 2-1 sweeper from A's starter Jack Perkins over the fence in right field with two outs and Ketel Marte and Moreno on base.

"Lot of work to do and I feel like I'm playing catch-up sometimes," Kepler said. "But we're in a good place overall, and I'm going to stay within myself and keep doing what we're doing."

The A's had the bases loaded with no outs in the top of the third, with a run in, but Drake got Shea Langeliers to line out to shortstop and induced a double-play grounder from Jonah Heim to end the inning.

The Diamondbacks (52-49) added a run in the bottom of the seventh, Marte's sacrifice fly scoring Vargas from third base.

Two Diamondbacks relievers, Taylor Clarke and Juan Morillo, pitched scoreless innings. Right-hander Ryan Thompson gave up a solo home run to Langeliers in the eighth inning and put two runners on base, but got a big double-play groundout from pinch hitter Jeff McNeil to end the threat.

Sewald got the first two outs of the top of the ninth, but Donovan Walton tripled and former Grand Canyon standout Jacob Wilson launched a two-run home run to left field to stun the crowd. Sewald doubled over with his hands on his thighs in frustration as the ball flew over the wall.

-Jose M. Romero

A's player has emergency surgery

The Athletics placed infielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer on the 10-day injured list after the 23-year-old first-year major leaguer had to have emergency surgery on a ruptured testicle following the A's-Diamondbacks game on Monday, July 20.

Kuroda-Grauer was said to be resting comfortably after the procedure at Phoenix's St. Joseph's Hospital.

Kuroda-Grauer accidentally fouled a pitch off his groin area in the top of the fifth inning on July 20. He went down quickly in pain and had to be attended to, then got up and stayed in the game momentarily, lining a single in the same at-bat.

A's manager Mark Kotsay visited Kuroda-Grauer in the hospital, telling MLB.com that his player was joking and in great spirits.

“His personality is amazing. … I think he might be the only player in history to (rupture) a testicle, stay in the game, get a hit and play another half inning of defense," Kotsay said.

But he couldn't stay in the game, and it was announced late in the game that he left with a testicle contusion.

Kuroda-Grauer had earlier homered in the game and was batting .404 (23 for 57) in his first 15 major league games since being called up on June 29 from Triple-A Las Vegas.

-Jose M. Romero

Carroll returns to lineup

Diamondbacks All-Star Corbin Carroll was back in the lineup on July 21 after having rested following a minor elbow injury in the Cardinals series finale.

Carroll hit third in the order and was back in right field. He went 1-for-4 on July 21.

"I think it was just a good day off for him emotionally, physically; he just got off his feet," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. "Overall he feels much, much better."

-Jose M. Romero

Top pick Ryder Helfrick takes batting practice at Chase Field

Diamondbacks top pick Ryder Helfrick didn’t just get to take batting practice with the big-league team ahead of the game on Tuesday, July 21, he got to be in the same hitting group as a potential future Hall of Famer, Nolan Arenado.

“Just being in this stadium and being there was pretty cool,” Helfrick said. “Hitting with a guy that just got his 2,000th hit the night before was pretty unreal, as well. It was an awesome experience.”

Helfrick, the 15th overall pick out of Arkansas, signed over the weekend for a full slot signing bonus of $5.24 million.

He is known for his power at the plate and his defense behind it. He was able to put the former on display, putting perhaps a half-dozen balls into the seats in left and left-center field.

Lovullo said he told Helfrick about Carroll’s first batting practice session after he was drafted in 2019, during which he hit a ball off the batter's eye in center field.

“He told me that story,” Helfrick said, “and I told him, ‘Hey, I don’t have that type of juice to go dead center here. That’s not my type of game.’ Crazy story to hear.”

Helfrick is expected to begin his pro career at Low-A Visalia.

In other draft news, Texas prep infielder Rylan Alaniz, whom the Diamondbacks drafted in the 17th round, told the club he would not be signing and would instead be attending Texas State. Alaniz turned down a potential bonus in excess of $600,000. That amount, which is how much the Diamondbacks have remaining in their draft pool, is the equivalent of the slot amount for a fourth-round pick.

—Nick Piecoro

Drey Jameson heads to IL; Gerardo Carrillo recalled

The Diamondbacks placed right-hander Drey Jameson on the 15-day injured list with right hip inflammation and recalled right-hander Gerardo Carrillo from Triple-A Reno.

Jameson owns a 4.67 ERA in 11 appearances in the majors. He last pitched on Sunday, July 19, giving up two runs in two innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Carrillo, who was signed as a minor league free agent in the offseason, was just added to the 40-man roster last week. He has a 4.15 ERA in 43 1/3 innings in Triple-A Reno, with 28 walks and 57 strikeouts.

Formerly a well-regarded prospect in the Dodgers and Nationals farm systems, Carrillo has yet to make his major league debut. He has a fastball that sits in the 97 mph range. He leans heavily on his cutter while also throwing a splitter and curveball.

—Nick Piecoro