Paul Goldschmidt's blasts highlight Diamondbacks' wild win over Cubs

CHICAGO – The last Diamondbacks player to walk off the field Thursday evening, Paul Goldschmidt wound his way through the innards of Wrigley Field, climbed the stairs at the end of the tunnels that lead to the visitors’ clubhouse, then was greeted at the door by a group of teammates eager to celebrate something he had never before done in the major leagues.

In a wild, back-and-forth, rain-soaked affair, Goldschmidt bashed three home runs – blasts that covered a distance of nearly a quarter-mile – including the go-ahead shot in the ninth inning. If the Diamondbacks’ 10-8 victory over the Chicago Cubs wasn’t their best victory of the season, it was up there, and Goldschmidt, their best player, carried them to it.

And, judging by the cheers that emanated from the cramped confines of the visitors’ clubhouse before reporters were allowed inside, the Diamondbacks were more than happy to fete their star. But how did they celebrate, exactly? They weren’t saying.

“That’s clubhouse confidential stuff right there,” right-hander Zack Greinke said.

Goldschmidt had never before hit three home runs in a game, and he tied his career high by driving in six.

“It’s crazy,” he said. “I know I’ve never hit three home runs. And then to win that game – it was a good one for our team.”

It was a game that they hope marks the end of what has been a difficult stretch. Their bats have gone quiet, particularly in key situations. They have struggled against left-handed pitching. They have watched their lead for one of two wild-card spots shrink to relatively uncomfortable levels. After getting drubbed 16-4 on Tuesday night, they had lost 18 of their past 28 games.

But like they have so many times this year, they rebounded from an ugly night by winning the next day – then they won again on Thursday, though there were plenty of moments when it looked like they wouldn’t. Adding to it were the two hours, 35 minutes’ worth of rain delays both teams had to endure, starting with a one-hour, 30-minute delay at the start.

The Diamondbacks blew a five-run advantage, rallied to reclaim the lead in the eigth, allowed the Cubs to tie it in the bottom of the inning, then took the lead for good in the ninth, when Goldschmidt and J.D. Martinez hit back-to-back homers off Cubs closer Wade Davis.

“I would say Number 1,” manager Torey Lovullo said when asked where this win ranked for him this season. “They’re the defending World Series champions, and you come into this place and you grow up.”

Each of Goldschmidt’s home runs could be categorized as no-doubters. First came a three-run shot in the first inning that appeared to fall just shy of banging off the video board in left-center field. It traveled an estimated 412 feet. His second, a fifth-inning, two-run blast, was a laser that reached Waveland Avenue beyond the left-field wall. It went 411 feet. Both came off Cubs lefty Jose Quintana.

The last one, which landed in the bleachers in left-center in the ninth, went 428 feet, coming on a 96-mph, full-count fastball.

“I was just trying to get on,” Goldschmidt said. “I kept telling myself to get on for J.D. and maybe he’ll drive me in.”

While speaking with reporters, Goldschmidt, in typical fashion, kept coming back to the fact the team won the game. Most noteworthy, in his eyes, was that it was a sort of return to the style of play they fashioned throughout the season’s first few months.

“It’s been a while,” he said. “That was kind of the conversation I had with some guys right after the game. Lately, we’ve lost a lot of tight ones and won some high-scoring ones, but we haven’t really had the good back-and-forth like this for a while.”

Even better, the past two victories came against a Cubs team that, besides being the reigning champ, had won 14 of its past 17 games after the blowout on Tuesday night. Could it be the sort of game that catapults the Diamondbacks back into a hot stretch?

“I hope so,” Goldschmidt said. “I don’t think if we would have lost, that we’d show up tomorrow any different. It’s a good win. They’re all going to count. We know that. There are a lot of good teams in the NL. It’s just a good win to add to our win total. It could come down to one game. Maybe that’s today.”

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