Walk it home! D-backs' Smith secures win with walk 

PHOENIX -- The mood in the D-backs dugout was one of frustration and anger. They had just watched the Nationals score five runs in the top of the ninth inning, turning what was going to be a relatively easy win into a one-run deficit.

“There wasn’t one person that was happy in that dugout, and I'm talking about the bad boys too,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “It didn't matter.”

Things shifted quickly, though, when Lourdes Gurriel Jr. led off the bottom of the ninth with a home run on the first pitch from Kyle Finnegan to tie the game. That homer sparked a rally that ended with Pavin Smith drawing a bases-loaded, walk-off walk to cap an 8-7 win over the Nationals on Saturday at Chase Field.

“Any win is a good win, and we didn't come close to drawing it up like that,” Lovullo said. “This game is awesome, it teaches you the lessons every single day, every single pitch, every single inning. We won the game. [I'm] very pleased with that.”

Lovullo was less pleased with how the D-backs got the win though, and said that some mistakes had already been addressed internally. But, he also focused on the fact that his team didn’t roll over after Lane Thomas’ two-out, two-run homer that gave the Nationals the lead.

“It's not anything that you predict, [you're not thinking] that you’re going to give up five runs in the top of the top of the ninth inning and the opposing team is going to take the lead,” Lovullo said. “You're managing frustration, you're managing your own personal emotion. And you pull it together to have a quality at-bat and a solo home run, and then you just piece things together slowly piece by piece by piece."

Gurriel’s homer was a quick jolt, but the rest of the inning unfolded in a much slower manner.

Christian Walker singled up the middle. Corbin Carroll walked. Dominic Fletcher bunted the two over, and then Geraldo Perdomo was intentionally walked.

That brought up Smith, who did not take the bat off his shoulder during a five-pitch, game-ending walk.

"I actually thought I executed the pitch to Guerriel there,” Finnegan said. “We were trying to go in, I got it in and he put a good swing on it. That one’s tough to take because I thought it was a decent pitch, and he made a great play for his team. Couldn't really find [my command]. I was trying to figure out where to start the pitch to get it over the plate, and just couldn't get it going."

Smith was pinch-hitting for catcher Gabriel Moreno, and he didn’t have much time to prepare for his at-bat. He had just gotten to the on-deck circle when the Nationals ordered the intentional walk to Perdomo, and the umpire turned to Smith and told him to hurry up.

There can be a tendency in those situations to try to do too much, but Smith, who has always had a good feel for the strike zone, was willing to be patient.

“Anything you can do to win the game there,” Smith said. “It was a good AB, you know, didn't chase, so I was happy with it. He just threw me five fastballs. He was kind of pulling them and yanking them in. Then he got one over and I was definitely ready to swing 3-1 to get the job done, but it wasn’t in the zone so I took it.”

The win might not have been the way the D-backs drew it up, but they will take it.