Nifty Nine for Diamondbacks

Some major league teams begin to worry when they fall behind in the opening innings.

For the streaking Arizona Diamondbacks, it’s no big deal.

Friday night, the Diamondbacks overcame early deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 to tie a franchise record with their ninth straight win, 8-3 over the Detroit Tigers.

“In the last couple of weeks, it doesn’t matter if we take an early lead or we fall behind,” Arizona Manager Bob Brenly said. “It’s a kind of consistent, something-good-is-going-to-happen attitude that it seems like everyone on our bench has right now.”

Chad Moeller scored on a wild pitch to break a 3-3 tie in the seventh, then added an RBI single in the eighth for the Diamondbacks, who have had three other nine-game winning streaks, the most recent from Aug. 10-19, 2001.

Arizona has gone 39-25 after a 3-11 start.

“Everything is just kind of going our way a little more right now,” Moeller said. “Early in the year, we had so many things that never went our way, but now more balls are falling in for us. To this team’s credit, everybody stayed focused on what is important.”

The Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the first on Dmitri Young’s RBI triple and Kevin Witt’s sacrifice fly, but Arizona tied the score in the second on a two-run double by Lyle Overbay.

The Tigers regained the lead in the bottom of the inning when Matt Walbeck singled and scored on Alex Sanchez’s triple.

But Detroit starter Adam Bernero couldn’t hold that lead either. In the third, he walked two batters before Finley’s single tied the score at 3-3.

Arizona went ahead to stay in the seventh with some help from the struggling Tiger pitching staff. With one out, Bernero walked Moeller and gave up a single to Tony Womack.

Franklyn German came out of the bullpen and walked Matt Kata on four pitches before uncorking a wild pitch that allowed Moeller to score.