D-backs erase 6-run deficit for walk-off win

PHOENIX -- Christian Walker would like to think that karma, the baseball Gods -- whatever you want to call it -- owed him what happened Tuesday night.

The D-backs first baseman has hit into a lot of tough luck this season, according to the numbers.

Walker is in the 74th percentile in the Majors in average exit velocity. His expected batting average based on that is .275 and his expected slugging percentage is .608.

Yet, because he has hit the ball at people, he has just a .203 batting average and a still very good slugging percentage of .473.

Bottom line: He's not apologizing for driving in the winning run on a slow grounder to second base in Tuesday night's 7-6 walk-off win over the Padres at Chase Field.

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"Oh, man, I'd like to say yeah, but if there's one thing I know about baseball, we're not owed anything," Walker said before breaking out into a smile. "You try to chalk it up to living right or something like that."

Walker's at-bat came in the bottom of the ninth in a tie game with two outs, runners at first and second and Padres closer Taylor Rogers on the mound.

With a 2-0 count, Walker hit a soft grounder to second. First baseman Eric Hosmer ranged to his right, slid and stopped the ball. Instead of just holding onto the ball, though, Hosmer tried to go to second to force out Ketel Marte.

San Diego shortstop C.J. Abrams was a little late getting to the bag and Marte was safe.

Meanwhile, Josh Rojas never broke stride while rounding third and scored easily with the winning run.

"I had no idea what happened until after I watched the replay," Rojas said. "I honestly just thought it was a slow roller off the bat, there's going to be a close play somewhere. And I thought, worst-case scenario, he's out at first; best-case scenario, he beats it out and then I'm safe at home."

That the D-backs even had a chance in the ninth inning seemed unlikely after the Padres batted around to take a 6-0 lead in the fifth inning.

Sean Manaea held the D-backs scoreless through six, but in the seventh he ran out of gas and the first three D-backs hitters reached base with two of them scoring.

The D-backs tied the game in the eighth as they scored two runs on just one hit. Included in the inning were two walks and a hit-by-pitch by right-hander Luis García. Rogers hit another batter, Carson Kelly, with the bases loaded to tie the game.

Much like Walker's grounder wasn't a thing of beauty, neither was the win, but just like there's no such thing as a bad hit that drives in a game-winner, there's no such thing as a bad win either.

"Great team win," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. "You fall down 6-0 and you make a couple of mistakes along the way that kind of compound things, and you're in a situation where you have to fight a real uphill battle. But our guys didn't shut down. This team's got a good heartbeat. Today was a perfect example of what this team is capable of doing."