“There were things that happened that shouldn’t happen,” Arizona catcher Gabriel Moreno said.
But Lovullo had enough pieces to finish the puzzle as the Diamondbacks rallied from a three-run deficit to stun the Phillies, 6-5.
The series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 on Saturday night.
Arizona scored three runs in the eighth inning off Craig Kimbrel. Pinch hitter Alek Thomas tied it with a two-run homer. Kimbrel, the former Red Sox closer, put two more runners on with two outs before Moreno singled off Jose Alvarado to give the Diamondbacks the lead.
Paul Sewald came on to finish the game for his fifth save of the postseason.
Kimbrel has allowed four runs the last two games, taking both losses as Arizona climbed back into the series after losing two games in Philadelphia. To what degree, if any, the Phillies can trust him late in games the rest of the postseason is uncertain.
Kimbrel threw only 12 of his 21 pitches for strikes and fell behind 3 and 1 to both Thomas and Moreno. They hit fastballs that were left over the plate.
“I didn’t land the baseball and paid the price,” Kimbrel said. “Tough two games.”
Thomas was a below-average hitter who was demoted to the minors in May and didn’t return for a month.
“That play is definitely something that you see in your dreams,” he said. “For it to come in real life and for it to happen to me is just awesome. I’m so grateful to have that moment. It’s just unreal.
After a bullpen game, Game 1 starters Zac Gallen and Zack Wheeler return on Saturday. Wheeler beat Gallen to open the series but the Arizona righthander was 12-3 with a 2.47 ERA in 16 starts at Chase Field this season.
Arizona had the third-worst attendance in the National League this season but sold out its three postseason home games. Now their team is two wins away from going to the World Series for the first time since 2001.
“It’s been awesome because there’s been some dark times here and some less than favorable crowds for sure,” Gallen said.
Arizona had a 2-0 lead through three innings before its pitching plans went awry.
Kyle Schwarber, another former Red Sox, homered off Kyle Nelson leading off the fourth inning. With a runner on second and two outs in the fifth inning, Lovullo followed the script and went to lefthander Andrew Saalfrank to face lefthanded hitting Brandon Marsh.
Saalfrank left a fastball over the plate that Marsh lined to left field for a game-tying double.
With two more lefties — Schwarber and Bryce Harper — coming up in the sixth inning, Saalfrank stayed in the game. He walked the bases loaded.
Ryan Thompson was next out of the bullpen. His first pitch was chopped down the third base line. Emmanuel Rivera’s off-balance throw bounced past catcher Gabriel Moreno and two runs scored.
The lead grew to 5-2 in the seventh inning before Arizona rallied against Kimbrel.
“We’re going to enjoy this moment,” Lovullo said. “I can’t really describe how I feel because I haven’t had a chance to interpret what just happened. It happened so quickly, and it was just a group of players banding together and getting the job done.
“There’s a lot of excitement in that clubhouse … It’s a great moment for this organization. I’m very proud of these guys. I love this team. I love these guys.”
Lovullo didn’t want to use eight pitchers to get through the game. But he was out of starters. Thomson had Taijuan Walker available but didn’t trust him, saying he was saved in the event of extra innings.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has been constructing teams for 35 years. Putting together a reliable rotation is more difficult than it has ever been.
“Teams don’t develop starters like they once did,” he said. “It varies from organization to organization but it’s not easy to do. You need five starters depending on injuries, probably more. To find them and pay them, it can be difficult.”
It’s cheaper — and often more effective — to use an opener for an inning or two then follow with a series of relievers.
Wheeler doesn’t like how the game is trending. He would like to see more expected of starters, not less.
“You need a starter who can go five, six, seven innings. At least a couple that can go deeper,” he said. “Just throughout the season, those one or two innings more than other starters sometimes add up over the season.
“But it’s not my call. I don’t make that investment, so I can’t tell you how to do it. But just from being a starter and running through that process, I would like to see the leash unraveled a little bit more.”
Peter Abraham can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @PeteAbe.
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