Christian Walker dominates Dodgers again, powers Arizona Diamondbacks to series win

LOS ANGELES — Somehow, Christian Walker jogged toward home plate with no reaction on his face, no hint of the madness he had just produced. He didn’t want to feel the “roller coaster” of emotions, he said later. So he set off that ride for everyone else.

On the top step of the visiting dugout, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo leaned over a railing, laughing to himself in disbelief. His players did the same. Behind home plate, one Dodgers fan exclaimed, “Oh come on, what the hell?”

Dave Roberts, the Los Angeles manager, must have been thinking the same. He could only sit back in his chair, hands clasped over his stomach, and stare out into space.

This was the scene that swelled for three days at Dodger Stadium this week. With each at-bat, Walker drew more attention, more boos, more bated breath. And with seemingly each at-bat, he responded with a home run.

It met its crescendo here in the third inning Thursday night. With Joc Pederson on base and two outs in the inning, Walker smoked a high changeup out to left field for his second home run of the game and fifth of the series. The game was still young, but Walker had single-handedly set the Diamondbacks on course to a 9-3 win.

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“He’s Babe Ruth against us,” Roberts said.

The comparison fits. In 42 career games at Dodger Stadium, Walker now owns a .341/.401/.783 slash line — nearly identical to Ruth’s career numbers — with slightly more power. His 19 home runs here are eight more than any other visiting player in that time span. This season, he’s done even better, hitting nine home runs against the Dodgers in as many games. No other player has accomplished that feat to start a season against a single opponent this century.

“He's unconscious, really,” Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen said. “It's unbelievable.”

For all his stoicism on the field, Walker acknowledged that he’s spent the past three days savoring the run. “I'm proud of it,” he said. “It's a super cool thing. It's like a once-in-a-lifetime situation.”

Still, he can’t quite explain his own success. “Speechless,” he said Thursday as cameras once again surrounded him searching for an answer. The closest he’s come is pinning it to a relaxed effort level.

As a hitter, Walker is constantly in search of the perfect degree of intensity. A certain baseline is necessary, but trying too hard can take him away from his strengths as a hitter.

According to Statcast, Chase Field is the third-hardest ballpark in which to hit a home run. Dodger Stadium is the second-easiest. Knowing that, Walker believes, helps him relax in the batter's box.

Whatever the explanation, Gallen reaped the rewards. He had electric velocity Thursday, throwing the seven fastest pitches of his career, but struggled with his command and completed only four innings. Because of Walker — and some help from the Diamondbacks bullpen — it didn’t matter.

In the fifth inning, the Dodgers finally wised up, intentionally walking the Arizona slugger. They essentially did so again in the ninth inning, throwing Walker four uncompetitive pitches. That time, the free pass loaded the bases, eventually leading to four insurance runs.

Still, Lovullo said he would have opted for the same strategy.

“I would’ve definitely checked off on him and made someone else beat us,” Lovullo said. “… I wouldn't have let him hit his third home run.”

When Roberts opted for the intentional pass in the fifth inning, a handful of Dodgers fans roared in approval. Every other time Walker came up, they responded with boos that grew in fervor with each at-bat.

That’s a familiar sound to Pederson, a former Dodger who draws a healthy round of disdain each time he steps into the box here. This time, he experienced it on the bases, where he was most often the beneficiary of easy trips home.

“When you get booed, it means you're probably doing something good that they don't like,” Pederson said. “So I love it. 'Walk,' he won us the series.”

That, in the end, is the most important part. On Tuesday night, the Diamondbacks let a win slip out of their grasp in the ninth inning. It felt familiar, another painful chapter in an unpleasant season.

But over the next two days, they conjured a response, the type of games that once seemed impossible for them at Chavez Ravine. From 2019 to the start of last year’s division series, they went 8-30 here. Since then, they’re 6-2.

“This has been a house of horrors for us over the past six years,” Gallen said. “And we proved … we can answer the bell here.”

For that, they have Walker to thank.

Arizona sends Cristian Mena back to minors after rough debut

LOS ANGELES — One day after Cristian Mena's turbulent major league debut, the Arizona Diamondbacks optioned the right-hander to Triple-A. They recalled left-handed reliever Joe Jacques to fill his roster spot.

The 21-year-old Mena allowed four runs to the first four batters he faced Wednesday night but eventually settled in to make it through three innings without further damage — experience that the Diamondbacks hope will prove invaluable whenever he returns to the majors.

The decision to option Mena once again creates a hole in the Arizona rotation. The Diamondbacks do not have an off day before the All-Star break, meaning Mena’s absent spot will come up twice before then.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Thursday that the Diamondbacks could opt for a bullpen game in the second of those openings, which will be two days before the All-Star break. But on Monday against the Braves, the Diamondbacks will need to bring up a starter from their minor leagues.

Their options appear limited. Tommy Henry is the most experienced possibility but he has a 7.04 ERA in nine major league appearances this year. Logan Allen and Humberto Castellanos are the two next most experienced options in Triple-A, but both have been relievers when called up to the Diamondbacks this season.

The Diamondbacks believe Jordan Montgomery will return from his knee inflammation in short order, eliminating the long-term need for a solution to fill the empty rotation spot. His injury was what prompted the club to promote Mena, who is seen as one of the organization’s top pitching prospects.

Friday’s Diamondbacks-Padres pitching matchup

Diamondbacks at Padres, 6:40 p.m., Cox, Ch. 34

Diamondbacks RHP Slade Cecconi (2-6, 5.81) vs. Padres RHP Randy Vasquez (2-4, 4.88).

Cecconi has been forced into 12 major league appearances (11 starts) this season due to the Diamondbacks’ slew of pitching injuries. … He continues to pitch well early in games but struggle in the middle innings. His ERA in innings 1-3 is 3.09. In innings 4-6, it’s 10.07. … Last time out, Cecconi allowed three runs in four innings against Oakland. … Vasquez was traded from the Yankees to the Padres as part of the Juan Soto deal this offseason. … He allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings last month in his only previous outing against the Diamondbacks. … Vasquez’s past two starts have been strong, with just one run allowed in nine total innings. … Vasquez uses a six-pitch mix, including a curveball that grades out as his best offering. He does not get much swing and miss, though, ranking among the bottom 10% of pitchers in that metric.

Coming up

Saturday: At San Diego, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (3-6, 4.28) vs. Padres RHP Matt Waldron (5-7, 3.56).

Sunday: At San Diego, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (5-6, 5.42) vs. Padres RHP Dylan Cease (7-7, 4.24).

Monday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks TBA vs. Braves LHP Chris Sale (11-3, 2.71).

About the Padres

The Padres faced financial issues in the offseason, necessitating their trade of Soto. Following a disappointing 2023, it appeared as if they were on the outside looking in amid a crowded National League wild card picture. But after a middling start to the season, they have played excellently in recent weeks. Beginning with a win July 19, they are 11-3, building a three-game cushion in the wild card race. Excluding injured players, every regular Padres starter has hit above league average this year. OF Jurickson Profar is leading the way with a career year. He has an .879 OPS. The pitching hasn’t been as effective but RHP Michael King, RHP Matt Waldron and the injured RHP Yu Darvish all have sub-4.00 ERAs. RHP Robert Suarez has been one of the best closers in baseball, converting 22 of 23 save opportunities to match his 1.02 ERA. All told, entering Thursday, the Padres ranked sixth in runs scored, 19th in rotation ERA and 16th in bullpen ERA.