It's easy to run out of gas in the desert.
Wilmer Font ran out of gas in the 15th inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks outlasted the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-7, in a 5-hour and 45-minute marathon on Monday night.
Font threw five innings of shutout baseball and laid down two perfect sacrifice bunts at the plate, including one that lead to the go-ahead run in the top of the 15th, but he was running on fumes by the time he returned to the mound in the bottom half of the inning, and Snakes rallied for the win.
"You don't know what to expect and he was the last guy in the pen," said Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts of Font. "He's never been in that situation. Such a gutty performance. He picked up our entire ball club.
Nick Ahmed tied the game with an RBI double off Font and Jeff Mathis followed with the game-winning walk-off single two pitches later.
While most of the sports world was transfixed on Villanova's blowout victory over Michigan in the NCAA National Championship game, baseball fans were witnessing the Dodgers' third consecutive win in the season.
The Boys in Blue continued their hot-hitting in the first inning as Joc Pederson doubled to start the game, and scored one batter later on an RBI single from Corey Seager.
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Two batters later, Grandal hit his first home run of the season, a two-run blast that put the Dodgers ahead 3-0.
Grandal went 3-for-6 with a single, double, home run and two walks as he reached base safely five times. It was the third time Grandal has reached base safely five or more times in a game.
The Diamondbacks would not go quietly into the desert night as they chipped away at the three-run lead, scoring runs in the first, third, and fourth innings before tying the game on an RBI triple by Ketel Marte.
Marte finished the game 3-for-7 with two triples, an RBI and a run scored. It was only the second time a Diamondback player tripled twice in a game against the Dodgers since Miguel Montero did it in 2010.
Hyun-Jin Ryu started the game for the Dodgers, but did not factor in the decision, allowing three runs on five hits with five walks and two strikeouts in just 3 and 2/3 innings.
Arizona starter Taijuan Walker faced the Dodgers for the first time since he was hit hard in Game 2 of the National League Division Series last October.
Walker also did not factor in the decision, allowing three runs on eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts in five innings.
Forsythe broke the 3-3 tie in the top of the sixth inning when he sent a four-seam fastball from Yoshihisa Hirano over the wall in left-center.
Chris Ownings hit the game-tying home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra-innings. Kenley Jansen walked back-to-back batters after recording the first two outs of the inning.
"It happens. I tried to just go out there and attack and it didn't my way today," said Jansen.
Jansen has allowed four runs in two innings, surrendering two home runs, with a loss and a blown save to start the season.
The Dodgers were looking to close this one out ...@cowings5 had other ideas. pic.twitter.com/ZEofWo0njH— MLB (@MLB) April 3, 2018
"Nobody wants to get beat. Nobody wants to blow saves. Nobody wants to lose games, but it happens," said Jansen. "It's a slow start. It sucks. Nobody is going to feel sorry for me."
The score would remain tied at 6-6 into the 15th inning when Cody Bellinger led off with an infield single. After Font sacrificed Bellinger into scoring position, Chase Utley brought him home with an RBI single to give the Dodgers the 7-6 lead.
The lead would be short-lived as Arizona would rally for two runs in the bottom half for the victory.
According to Major League Baseball, the game was the longest in the history of Chase Field.
Give Yasiel Puig The Gold Glove
Yasiel Puig made the play of the game in the bottom of the 14th inning when he tracked down a ball on the run near the right field line, spun, and threw out the tagging Ketel Marte at second base.
Up Next:
Clayton Kershaw makes his second start of the season on Tuesday opposite RHP Zack Godley for the Diamondbacks. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40PM PST.
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