Walks are pitchers’ poison. Just ask left-hander Robbie Ray of the Arizona Diamondbacks. For a pitcher which needs pitch economy and execution to make his life easier, Ray’s lack of control in critical areas doomed his effort Tuesday night.
Lead-off walks in the first and fifth inning, in which both scored, proved fatal in an eventual defeat 7-3 to the Detroit Tigers before 20,445 Tuesday night in Chase Field. Overall, Ray walked five hitters in five innings of work and those five tied a season-high mark. Ray also walked five in San Francisco on April 11.