Diamondbacks 6, Brewers 5
Game recap: The D-backs wrapped the pre-Australia portion of their Cactus League schedule with a ninth-inning rally to beat the Brewers in walk-off fashion. Despite having gone ahead 2-0 in the first inning, the D-backs found themselves trailing 5-3 heading into the final frame. They loaded the bases on three straight singles off Zach Duke. A wild pitch, a fielder's choice and a single followed for a three-run rally. In the process, Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke was ejected for arguing with umpires about a play at home.
Trevor Cahill returned to the mound after leaving his last start with a jammed left knee. He had no issues, and D-backs manager Kirk Gibson said after the game that Cahill felt fine physically.
Hitting notes: Aaron Hill got things started in the first inning with a single before coming around to score on a Martin Prado double. Catcher Miguel Montero singled to drive in Prado. A.J. Pollock finished the day with two hits and scored in the second on a Gerardo Parra single. Tony Campana provided the game-winning single in the ninth inning.
Pitching notes: Cahill was relatively effective in five innings of work despite an apparent lack of command, which contributed to Khris Davis' big second-inning home run. Cahill went five innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits while recording seven strikeouts and a walk. More important was the fact that he felt fine health-wise. Cahill is set to start Game 2 of the series in Australia on March 23. The D-backs have already lost the first starter of the series, as Patrick Corbin has been sidelined by a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow.
Oliver Perez and Joe Paterson combined for a clean sixth inning before Will Harris allowed a leadoff home run to Caleb Gindl in the seventh. Jess Todd gave up the final run on two hits in the eighth.
Short hops: The D-backs made six roster moves Sunday. Reliever Joe Paterson was optioned to Triple-A Reno while first baseman Mike Jacobs, infielder Andy Marte, catcher Blake Lalli and outfielder Shelley Duncan were reassigned to minor league camp. The team also officially returned reliever and Rule V draft pick Marcos Mateo to the Cubs. ... D-backs outfielder Cody Ross, who has been rehabbing from a fractured hip, got his first Cactus League at-bat Sunday. He struck out swinging, but that he got into a big league game was notable. ... Starter Bronson Arroyo threw a 50-pitch bullpen session as planned Sunday and reported feeling good afterward. He's next slated for a simulated game March 19 and a minor league game or Cactus League appearance after that. ... The crowd of 12,871 at Salt River Fields on Sunday set a new record for the stadium, now in its fourth season. ... A swarm of bees briefly halted play in the second inning Sunday, forcing right fielder Gerardo Parra to the infield until the swarm moved on.
Quotable: "Somebody's sweet out there. It's alright, they mind their own business. They're trained. A couple years ago they didn't behave so well." -- Manager Kirk Gibson, joking about the swarm of bees that delayed Sunday's game.
