Rubby De La Rosa was one strike away from escaping the seventh inning unscathed on Thursday afternoon, which means the Diamondbacks were one strike away from handing a lead to Archie Bradley and Fernando Rodney, their dominant late-inning relief duo who have combined to allow one earned run since the start of May.
But De La Rosa left a slider up and Randal Grichuk launched it into the left-field seats, a blast that set the stage not just for one rare occurrence – a Diamondbacks loss – but for a combination of unusual sightings.
The Diamondbacks’ 10-4 loss to the St.