The Arizona Diamondbacks didn't leave Fenway Park with the series they wanted, but they made sure they didn't leave Boston empty-handed.

After being outscored 20-5 over the first two games of the series, Arizona battled back from an early deficit, surrendered a three-run lead and ultimately found a way to survive in extra innings Wednesday afternoon, defeating the Boston Red Sox 7-6 in 10 innings.

Nolan Arenado delivered the decisive hit with a broken-bat RBI single in the top of the 10th, while Gabriel Moreno and Lars Nootbaar provided some of Arizona's biggest offensive moments earlier in the afternoon.

The victory allowed the Diamondbacks to avoid a three-game sweep and improve to 67-61 as they continue fighting for position in a crowded National League postseason race.

Boston Strikes First Against Brandon Pfaadt

Brandon Pfaadt entered the series finale on one of the best stretches of his season.

Over his previous nine starts, Pfaadt was 7-0 with a 1.15 ERA. Fenway Park, however, wasn't nearly as friendly.

Nick Sogard jumped on Pfaadt's first pitch of the afternoon and sent it into the Red Sox bullpen for the first home run of his Major League career, immediately giving Boston a 1-0 lead.

Jarren Duran added another solo home run in the third inning, putting Arizona into a 2-0 hole.

The Diamondbacks had already spent much of the series playing from behind, but this time they finally mounted a meaningful response.

Diamondbacks Finally Break Through

Arizona's offense came alive in the fifth.

After being shut out through the first four innings, the Diamondbacks scored three times against Boston starter Payton Tolle.

Gabriel Moreno delivered the biggest blow of the inning with a two-run double, helping Arizona erase the early deficit and move in front 3-2.

It continued what was an impressive series individually for Moreno. One night earlier, the Arizona catcher supplied all four Diamondbacks runs with a grand slam in the 9-4 loss.

Then came another big swing in the sixth.

Lars Nootbaar came off the bench and launched a pinch-hit two-run home run against Greg Weissert, extending Arizona's advantage to 5-2. Suddenly, a Diamondbacks team that had been overwhelmed through much of the series was three runs away from salvaging the finale.

Fenway Strikes Back

Unfortunately for Arizona, the Red Sox weren't finished.

Pfaadt recorded two outs in the sixth before Mickey Gasper stepped to the plate with two runners aboard.

Gasper launched a game-tying three-run home run, his third consecutive game with a homer, erasing Arizona's 5-2 advantage and tying the game at five.

Pfaadt's afternoon ended after 5 2/3 innings with five runs allowed. It was a rare difficult outing during what had otherwise been an outstanding stretch for the Arizona right-hander.

Neither team could break through over the next three innings.

After watching Boston score 20 runs across the first two games of the series, Arizona's bullpen gave the offense an opportunity to win the finale.

They eventually took advantage.

Arenado Delivers in the 10th

With Moreno beginning the 10th inning as the automatic runner, Arizona needed someone to produce one more big hit.

Enter Nolan Arenado.

Facing Jovani Morán with the Boston infield drawn in, Arenado broke his bat but managed to drop the ball into shallow left field. It wasn't crushed. It wasn't pretty.

It didn't need to be.

Moreno scored, and the Diamondbacks had a 6-5 lead.

Arizona wasn't finished.

Jose Fernandez later worked a bases-loaded walk, forcing home another run and extending the advantage to 7-5.

That insurance run became enormous.

Boston answered in the bottom half when Willson Contreras drove home a run with a groundout against Jonathan Loáisiga, cutting Arizona's lead to 7-6.

But Loáisiga shut the door before Boston could complete another comeback.

Diamondbacks win.

Sweep avoided.

Gabriel Moreno Was Arizona's Offensive Star at Fenway

If there was one Diamondbacks hitter who deserved to leave Boston feeling good about his performance, it was Gabriel Moreno.

Moreno entered Wednesday having hit safely in 12 consecutive games. During that stretch entering the finale, he had accumulated 10 extra-base hits and 11 RBIs.

His impact against Boston was impossible to miss.

Tuesday night, Moreno blasted a grand slam that temporarily gave Arizona a 4-3 lead.

Wednesday, his two-run double helped turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 Diamondbacks advantage, and he later scored the go-ahead run in the 10th on Arenado's broken-bat single.

Arizona didn't win the series, but Moreno continued to look like one of the most dangerous bats in the lineup.

Series Recap: Red Sox Take Two of Three From Arizona

The final game gave Diamondbacks fans something to celebrate, but the complete picture of the three-game series wasn't nearly as encouraging.

Boston won the series two games to one and outscored Arizona 26-12.

The Red Sox didn't simply beat Arizona in the first two games. They overwhelmed the Diamondbacks.

Game 1: Red Sox 11, Diamondbacks 1

The series began with one of Arizona's ugliest performances of the season.

Boston collected 16 hits in an 11-1 victory while scoring in six consecutive innings.

Mitch Bratt allowed three runs over three innings before the game got completely away from Arizona. Zack Littell surrendered the remaining eight runs on 11 hits.

The Diamondbacks managed only four hits, with their lone run coming on a Geraldo Perdomo sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.

But the score wasn't even the biggest Diamondbacks story that night.

Ketel Marte unexpectedly failed to report to Fenway Park and was placed on the restricted list shortly before the game because of what the organization described as a personal situation.

The uncertainty surrounding Arizona's All-Star second baseman immediately became one of the biggest stories surrounding the team.

Game 2: Red Sox 9, Diamondbacks 4

Arizona showed more fight Tuesday but ultimately couldn't slow Boston's offense.

The Red Sox jumped ahead 3-0 in the first inning before Moreno changed the game with one swing.

His third-inning grand slam gave Arizona a 4-3 advantage.

The lead didn't last long.

Adley Rutschman answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the third, his first homer since joining Boston, and the Red Sox regained the lead later in the inning.

Boston continued adding runs and eventually finished with 13 hits in the 9-4 victory.

Merrill Kelly struggled, allowing six runs on seven hits and four walks over four-plus innings.

Through two games, Boston had outscored Arizona 20-5.

The Diamondbacks were suddenly staring at the possibility of leaving Fenway Park without a victory.

Game 3: Diamondbacks 7, Red Sox 6 — 10 Innings

That's what made Wednesday's win important.

Arizona could have folded after falling behind 2-0.

It could have folded again after Gasper's three-run homer erased a 5-2 advantage.

Instead, the Diamondbacks kept playing.

Moreno delivered.

Nootbaar delivered.

The bullpen kept Arizona alive.

And when the game reached the 10th inning, Arenado found just enough open grass with a broken bat to put Arizona back in front.

It wasn't a series victory.

But considering how the first two games unfolded, salvaging the finale mattered.

What Did We Learn From the Boston Series?

The biggest concern was obvious: Arizona's pitching couldn't contain Boston consistently.

The Red Sox scored 26 runs over three games, including 20 during the first two. Bratt struggled in the opener, Kelly surrendered six runs Tuesday and even Pfaadt — one of Arizona's hottest starters entering the finale — allowed five Wednesday.

That isn't a recipe Arizona can afford to repeat during the stretch run.

There were positives, however.

Moreno's bat remains scorching.

Nootbaar showed the potential impact Arizona can get from its bench.

Arenado delivered in a pressure situation.

And perhaps most importantly, Arizona showed enough resilience to prevent a disastrous sweep.

The Diamondbacks also accomplished something important from a bigger-picture perspective: they stopped the bleeding before returning home.

The Ketel Marte Question Remains

Arizona played the entire Boston series without Ketel Marte, and his situation remains far bigger than baseball.

Marte was placed on the restricted list after failing to report for Monday's series opener. Before Wednesday's game, manager Torey Lovullo said he still had not heard from Marte. The organization had been told Marte traveled back to Phoenix for testing on his left knee.

Until the Diamondbacks provide additional information, speculation about the circumstances surrounding Marte's absence should be treated cautiously.

From a baseball perspective, however, Arizona now has to prepare for the possibility of continuing its postseason push without knowing exactly when its All-Star second baseman will return.

Diamondbacks Head Home for Another Important Series

Arizona gets Thursday off before returning home Friday to open a series against the Cincinnati Reds.

Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez is scheduled to start the opener for Arizona.

The Diamondbacks leave Boston having lost two of three, but Wednesday's victory changes the feeling of the trip.

Instead of returning home after being swept and riding a four-game losing streak, Arizona returns having demonstrated that it can still respond when things go sideways.

There are plenty of issues to clean up.

The starting pitching needs to be better. The offense needs to find more consistency. And the uncertainty surrounding Marte remains a major storyline hanging over the club.

But when the Diamondbacks desperately needed someone to deliver one big hit Wednesday afternoon, Nolan Arenado did exactly that.

It wasn't a towering Green Monster home run.

It was a broken bat, a blooper into shallow left and one extremely important Diamondbacks victory.

Sometimes surviving is enough.

​And at Fenway Park, Arizona survived.

Past Diamondbacks Articles:
Diamondbacks’ Nightmare Night at Fenway Goes Far Beyond 11-1 Loss 
Matt Olson’s Three-Run Homer Sinks Diamondbacks in Atlanta Finale 

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