D-backs Stat of the Day: April 2021
MLB.com is keeping track of a Stat of the Day for the D-backs this season, highlighting a unique, interesting or fun nugget from each game.
April 30: D-backs 7, Rockies 2 -- Peralta joins elite group
David Peralta, who drove in his 22nd run of the season, is one of five players since 1920 to collect four or more triples and 20 or more RBIs before May 1. The others include: Hack Wilson (1926), Nomar Garciaparra (1998), Larry Walker (2003) and Adalberto Mondesi (2019).
April 29: D-backs 5, Rockies 3 -- Peralta on a tear
David Peralta went 3-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs and has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games. Over that span, he has hit .409 with two doubles, two triples, two homers and 14 RBIs.
April 28: Padres 12, D-backs 3 -- All good things …
The D-backs’ 11-game home winning streak against the Padres came to an end. The 11 straight wins at home was the most ever in franchise history against a National League West opponent.
April 27: D-backs 5, Padres 1 -- Kelly goes deep again
Carson Kelly hit his sixth homer of the season, a two-run shot in the sixth. That surpasses Kelly's homer total of five in 2020, when he had 129 plate appearances.
April 25: D-backs 5, Braves 0 (G1); D-backs 7, Braves 0 (G2) -- Gallen, Bumgarner make franchise history
Zac Gallen and Madison Bumgarner each threw a complete-game shutout in the seven-inning doubleheader against the Braves in Atlanta. It marked the first time in franchise history that Arizona pitchers recorded complete-game shutouts in back-to-back games.
April 23: Braves 5, D-backs 4 -- No walk for Kelly
Carson Kelly's consecutive games with a walk streak came to an end in the series opener against the Braves. Kelly, who went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, had drawn at least one walk in the previous 10 games to tie the franchise record.
April 22: D-backs 14, Reds 11 (10 innings) -- Extra-inning magic
The D-backs scored five runs in the 10th inning of the previous game and then scored six in the 10th inning of this one, becoming just the second team since 1974 to score five or more runs in an extra inning in two consecutive games. The White Sox accomplished the feat in 1994, scoring six times in the 10th against the Angels on Aug. 6 and five runs against the Halos in the 12th on Aug. 7.
April 20: D-backs vs. Reds -- It's a Young man's game
Andrew Young's game-tying pinch-hit home run to lead off the eighth was the hardest-hit homer by a D-backs batter since Statcast tracking began in 2015, with an exit velocity of 115.9 mph. It traveled a projected 414 feet and had a launch angle of 17 degrees. Prior to that, the hardest-hit homer by an Arizona player had been a 115.5 mph blast by Mark Trumbo on May 12, 2015, against the Nationals.
April 18: D-backs 5, Nationals 2 -- Bumgarner's cutter effective
In his first three starts this year, opposing batters were 12-for-22 against Madison Bumgarner's cut fastball. Sunday, though, the Nationals were 0-for-5 on the pitch.
April 17: Nationals 6, D-backs 2 -- Locastro caught stealing for first time
Tim Locastro was caught stealing in the fifth inning Saturday against the Nationals. That ended his Major League-record (since 1951) streak of successful steals to open a career at 29, one more than Hall of Famer Tim Raines, who accomplished the feat from 1979-81.
April 16: Nationals 1, D-backs 0 -- Taylor Widener's six-plus shutout innings
In two of his first three Major League starts, Taylor Widener pitched six-plus shutout innings, including seven Friday night against the Nationals. Only two other D-backs have managed to do that in their first three career starts -- Josh Collmenter in 2011 and Zack Godley in 2015.
April 15: D-backs 11, Nationals 6 -- Kelly showing consistency
With his first-inning home run against left-hander Patrick Corbin, D-backs catcher Carson Kelly has hit safely in eight of his first nine games to start the season. He went 2-for-4 with two runs.
April 13: A's 7, D-backs 5 -- Gallen a whiff machine in '21 debut
Making his first start of the year Tuesday, D-backs right-hander Zac Gallen picked up right where he left off last season. Coming off a hairline fracture in his right forearm, Gallen was limited to 82 pitches. His stuff, though, was as good as evidenced by the 12 swings and misses he got. That's the most he has drawn in his big league career on that few pitches.
April 12: A's 9, D-backs 5 -- Bumgarner's rare stretch
D-backs left-hander Madison Bumgarner allowed six runs Monday night against the A's. It was the third time in three starts this year that Bumgarner has allowed five or more earned runs. Prior to this stretch, Bumgarner had never allowed five or more earned runs in more than two straight starts and that has only happened three times in his career.
April 11: D-backs 7, Reds 0 -- Weaver flirts with no-no
D-backs right-hander Luke Weaver held a no-hitter through 6 1/3 innings against the Reds before settling for seven shutout innings. It was just the second time in his career that he has thrown more than six innings of shutout baseball. The other was on Aug. 23, 2017, against the Padres while he was pitching for the Cardinals.
April 10: D-backs 8, Reds 3 -- Can't catch Locastro
Tim Locastro's sixth-inning stolen base was his second of the year and he has now been successful in the first 28 stolen base attempts of his Major League career. That moves him ahead of Tim Raines for the most successful stolen bases to open a career since 1951. Raines was safe in his first 27 attempts from 1979-81.
April 9: Reds 6, D-backs 5 -- Chase Field welcomes 19,385 fans for opener
The D-backs sold out their home opener vs. the Reds. It was the first time since Sept. 29, 2019, that fans have been allowed inside Chase Field for a game, a span of 558 days.
April 8: Rockies 7, D-backs 3 -- Bats awaiting wake-up call
The D-backs were no-hit for the first six innings at Coors Field. Three of the key contributors in their lineup have struggled so far this year. Veterans David Peralta, Christian Walker and Eduardo Escobar have combined to hit .138 (11-for-80). Escobar's ninth-inning home run was only the second among the trio this season.
April 7: Rockies 8, D-backs 0 -- A rare Coors shutout
The D-backs' 8-0 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field on Wednesday night marked just the second time in the 202 games they've played there in which they failed to score a run. The only other time was a 5-0 loss on July 3, 2009.
April 6: D-backs 10, Rockies 8 (13) -- Historic MLB debut
Matt Peacock became the first pitcher since Marino Pieretti in 1945 to debut in an extra-innings game, record a hit and pick up the win. The 27-year-old rookie logged three innings, allowing two unearned runs with one hit, one walk and one strikeout to end the game.
April 4: D-backs 3, Padres 1 -- Widener's scoreless start
In his first start of his big league career, Taylor Widener held the Padres scoreless through six in the D-backs' 3-1 win. Last year the D-backs got six or more scoreless innings from a starter just three times. Merrill Kelly did it once and Zac Gallen twice. The last time someone other than Kelly or Gallen did that for Arizona was Alex Young on Sept. 7, 2019, against the Reds.
April 3: Padres 7, D-backs 0 -- Looking for a 'W'
It has been a rough start for the D-backs. After falling, 7-0, to the Padres, they are 0-3. That's just the fourth time in franchise history that they've opened a regular season 0-3. The other years were 1998, '99 and 2014.
April 2: Padres 4, D-backs 2 -- Locastro sterling on basepaths
D-backs outfielder Tim Locastro stole second base in the seventh inning against the Padres. It was his 27th steal in his big league career, and he has yet to be caught once. That matches Tim Raines for the most consecutive successful steal attempts to open a Major League career since 1951. Raines' streak went from 1979-81, while he was with the Montreal Expos.
April 1: Padres 8, D-backs 7 -- Historic fifth inning
The D-backs put together a six-run rally in the fifth inning thanks to home runs by Ketel Marte, Asdrúbal Cabrera, Tim Locastro and Stephen Vogt. It was the first time in baseball history that a team hit four home runs in one inning on Opening Day.