Arizona Diamondbacks vs Chicago Cubs

For seven innings, the story belonged to Cubs starter Clay Holmes. The right-hander tossed seven scoreless frames — his longest scoreless outing since April 4 — holding Arizona to three hits while striking out four. Holmes, whom the Diamondbacks had tried to acquire at the trade deadline before the Mets backed out, silenced the Chase Field crowd.

The Cubs built their lead on Ian Happ's three-run homer (his 23rd) off Brandon Pfaadt in the fourth inning, and Michael Busch's RBI single in the sixth made it 4-0.

The Diamondbacks didn't seriously threaten until the eighth. A scary moment — Jordan Lawlar was hit in the head by a 98.4 mph Daniel Palencia fastball — started the rally. Lawlar cleared concussion protocols and is expected to play Wednesday.

Gabriel Moreno followed with a bizarre check-swing double that rolled down the line, appeared to go foul, then hit the first-base bag and scooted past Michael Busch, scoring a run. Geraldo Perdomo followed with a two-run single to centre, cutting the lead to 4-3.

Waldschmidt's ninth-inning at-bat against Cubs closer Jacob Webb. After Jose Fernandez reached base and stole second, Waldschmidt — sent up to pinch-hit for Jorge Barrosa — worked the count to 2-1. Webb left a slider over the middle of the plate, and Waldschmidt drove it into the left-field bleachers more than 10 rows deep.

Diamondbacks hitting coaches Joe Mather, Damion Easley and Travis Denker had deliberated over who should pinch-hit before settling on the rookie. Manager Torey Lovullo trusted the call without asking for the reasoning: "I said, 'Think about it. I'll come back in one minute.' I went back one minute later. 'Do you have an answer?' 'No.' ... They said [send] Waldy for the at-bat."

• Ryan Waldschmidt, ARI: 1-for-1, walk-off 2-run HR. Since his recall from Triple-A Reno on July 10, he is hitting .296/.366/.449 with six doubles and three homers. "When you put that kind of pressure on yourself, it's hard to perform," Waldschmidt said of his approach shift since returning. "If you're tense and you're amped up, you're not going to put yourself in the best position to be successful."
• Clay Holmes, CHC: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K. His best start since joining the Cubs was rendered moot by the bullpen.
• Gabriel Moreno, ARI: 1-for-4, game-tying rally started on his odd check-swing double. "It was weird," Moreno said. "It was right away a foul ball and then it tried to come back, and then I thought it was going foul again, and then at the last second it came back and touched the base."
• Ian Happ, CHC: 1-for-4, three-run homer (23), providing all of Chicago's early offence.

The Diamondbacks scored all five of their runs in the final two innings against a Cubs bullpen that had been handed a 4-0 lead. Arizona's comeback owed more to timely hitting than sustained dominance: they managed only three hits through seven innings against Holmes, then plated five runs on four hits in the eighth and ninth. The Cubs, meanwhile, left the door open with walks and defensive indecision — Palencia and Webb combined to allow four runs in 1.2 innings.

Arizona's 40th comeback win of the season ties them for the most in the majors, underlining a team that refuses to go quietly regardless of the deficit.

The win pulls the Diamondbacks within one game of the San Diego Padres for the final National League Wild Card spot with 30 games remaining. For the Cubs, the blown lead stings as they continue to fight for their own playoff positioning.

Next up: The series finale Wednesday (Aug. 26, 12:40 p.m. PT) at Chase Field — Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (13-4, 2.71) vs. Cubs LHP Matthew Boyd (8-2, 4.15).

Waldschmidt is becoming the Diamondbacks' surprise October X-factor. Two walk-off homers in 20 days for a rookie who struggled in his first big-league stint is the kind of story that can define a stretch run. Arizona's ability to erase four-run deficits against quality pitching — and their refusal to fold after a demoralising stretch — suggests a team peaking at the right time.