The Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks share the major league lead with 40 come-from-behind victories apiece.
Ryan Waldschmidt proved again that no lead if safe against either of these offenses, hitting a two-out, two-run walk-off homer to give the Diamondbacks a 5-4 win on Tuesday.
The teams will play the decisive contest of a three-game series on Wednesday in Phoenix.
Waldschmidt, who beat the Los Angeles Dodgers with a game-ending homer on Aug. 7, is the first rookie in major league history to hit two walk-off homers each with his team trailing in the same calendar month, according to OptaSTATS.
A pair of left-handers, the Cubs’ Matthew Boyd (8-2, 4.15 ERA) and the D-backs’ Eduardo Rodriguez (13-4, 2.61), will square off in the Wednesday matchup of National League playoff hopefuls.
The Cubs are three games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for the top NL wild card. The D-backs moved within one game of the San Diego Padres for the final wild-card spot.
The D-backs were the only team among the top five NL wild-card contenders to win on Tuesday. They had only two hits, both singles, and were down 4-0 through seven innings before rallying.
“These boys don’t quit,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “They are 26 linked-up players that believe they can go out there and tell their story and get their job done to win a baseball game.”
The Cubs had gone in front when switch hitter Ian Happ hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning off right-hander Brandon Pfaadt. Happ has three homers in the past five games, and the Cubs have a major-league-high 43 homers in 23 games this month.
“We need Ian from the left side to have some power,” Counsell said. “Ian’s taken a couple of big swings on the road trip for sure.”
Rodriguez has won his past three starts and six of his past seven decisions. His 16 quality starts are tied for fifth in the majors.
The 33-year-old veteran threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a 9-0 victory over Cincinnati on Friday. He gave up four hits and two walks, and the Reds went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position while he was on the mound.
Rodriguez has shown a knack for getting out of jams. Opponents are hitting .156 against him with runners in scoring position and .111 with the bases loaded.
“Right now, we just go up there and play the game,” Rodriguez said. “We believe in each other. Somebody is going to be a hero — pitchers, hitters, relievers, defense.”
Rodriguez, who has spent most of his career in the American League, is 0-0 with a 3.18 ERA in two career starts against the Cubs. Alex Bregman, another long-time AL player, is 9-for-27 with three homers and eight RBIs vs. the lefty.
Boyd beat the D-backs in Chicago on May 3, holding them to two runs in six innings during an 8-4 victory, then did not pitch again for the Cubs until late June.
He underwent meniscus surgery on May 7, an injury caused when he bent awkwardly while playing with his kids, but was at his best when he returned.
Boyd went 4-0 with a 1.93 ERA in seven starts upon rejoining the rotation, capped by a run of three quality starts to conclude July. This month hasn’t been as good, as he is 2-1 with a 6.12 ERA in four starts. Most recently, he allowed five runs, four earned, in six innings of a no-decision at Seattle on Friday.
In four career starts against Arizona, Boyd is 1-2 with a 4.09 ERA.
–Field Level Media
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