McCarthy closing out rookie year in big way

SAN FRANCISCO -- The D-backs' struggles against the Giants in 2021 were well documented, as Arizona went a scant 2-17 against its National League West rivals.

Despite dropping two of three to the Giants this weekend, the D-backs can take a shred of redemption along as they leave San Francisco for the final time this season.

Though its last visit to Oracle Park ended with Sunday's 4-3 loss in 10 innings, Arizona won the season series between the two clubs, 10-9. It's a step forward that shows how far the D-backs have come from last season -- when they lost 110 games -- to now, as they sit at 73-86 with three games remaining. Manager Torey Lovullo attributed the progress to a "growth mindset" -- but he's not quite satisfied yet.

"We're on the right trajectory, but we still have a long way to go," Lovullo said. "We know what our record is against the Giants. They're a good baseball team. We're proud of that. But I'll be proud of it when we get to the top of that hill. It's going to take a lot of work, and we're going to keep grinding through it."

One difference from last year to now? A number of rookies have grown into everyday roles for Arizona, including the D-backs' standout player on Sunday: Speedy outfielder Jake McCarthy.

McCarthy's fingerprints were all over the D-backs' offense, as he went 3-for-5 with a double and a stolen base. He factored into all three of Arizona's runs, driving in a pair and putting his speed on display to score the tying run in the eighth inning, sprinting at a rate of 30.5 feet per second to go from first to home in a tick more than 10 seconds on Josh Rojas' RBI double.

McCarthy also looked far more comfortable than he previously has in Oracle Park's challenging right field, running down a sharply-hit liner off the bat of Austin Slater in the bottom of the ninth to make a nice snag, helping right-hander Mark Melancon set the Giants down in order and send the game to extras.

The 25-year-old outfielder has swung a hot bat during Arizona's final road trip of the season, going 9-for-23 (.391) with three stolen bases across five games in Houston and San Francisco.

"He's a very good player, and he's coming into his own," Lovullo said. "He's a very engaged baseball player that understands the concepts that we're laying down on him, and the success that he'll have at the plate is not a surprise to me."

Speed is a common denominator in McCarthy's success. But it's not only him; the D-backs are a speedy bunch. As a team, Arizona's average sprint speed of 27.6 feet per second leads the NL.

"When other teams do it to us, I see how valuable it is. And I always try to apply pressure," McCarthy said. "I just think it continues to put us on the offensive, and just always thinking of what we're going to do and putting pressure on them. … It's unfortunate that we lost today, but I just think the more we do that, the better off we'll be."

Pressure alone is not enough, as the D-backs experienced in the series finale. Arizona outhit San Francisco, 13-6, but it struggled to cash in, going 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position. That carried into the 10th inning, when the D-backs had two runners in scoring position with one out after taking a 3-2 lead and failed to bring in insurance runs.

The Giants also struggled to get big knocks early, recording two hits and drawing five walks against right-hander Zach Davies. San Francisco scored only one run in five innings against Arizona's starter.

The Giants pulled through when it mattered, as David Villar's bases-loaded two-run single off right-hander Taylor Widener won the game in the bottom of the 10th.

"Unfortunately, we couldn't get the big hit. We'll be better tomorrow," Lovullo said. "But we fought and did all that we could. It's just a matter of inches. This game is unbelievable. Some balls are hit an inch or two the other way, and we're talking about a totally different outcome."