Geraldo Perdomo drives in run with sac fly in 9th to lift the Diamondbacks past the Blue Jays, 5-4

PHOENIX (AP) — Geraldo Perdomo brought home Corbin Carroll with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning, and the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 on Friday night.

The Diamondbacks jumped above .500 for the first time since a win on April 3, improving to 48-47. Arizona had lost five straight times prior to Friday when it had a chance to push to a winning record.

“It's foot-on-the-gas time,” pitcher Ryne Nelson said. “Let's see how far out in front of .500 we can get. I think this team — we can get on a roll and start playing really well.”

The Blue Jays have lost eight of 10.

Arizona trailed 4-2 in the eighth before a two-out, two-run single by Alek Thomas that scored Perdomo and Eugenio Suarez. Both reached via a walk against reliever Trevor Richards and both advanced a base on a wild pitch.

Carroll started the ninth with a walk off Chad Green (2-2). Gabriel Moreno then struck out before Ketel Marte got another free pass. Carroll and Marte executed a perfect double steal and Christian Walker was intentionally walked to load the bases.

Perdomo lofted a fly ball down the left-field line that was caught by Daulton Varsho, but easily scored Carroll, who is one of the fastest players in the big leagues.

“It wasn't my best swing, but I'm glad that Corbin was on third base," Perdomo said, grinning. "Thank god.”

Varsho said he thought about letting Perdomo's fly ball drop considering it was close to foul territory, but couldn't take the risk after it drifted toward the line.

“That fly ball is spinning in my head right now,” Varsho said. “Because in a dome, there's no wind, that ball should never have come back that far. I was planning on letting it drop foul and then, hopefully, Chad can get a strikeout. But it came back so far, came back fair, and I was just kind of dumbfounded.”

Richards and Green combined to walk five batters over the final two innings, including four unintentionally.

Carroll's RBI single in the third gave the D-backs a 1-0 lead. Arizona threatened to get more after loading the bases with two outs, but Yariel Rodriguez froze Perdomo with a full-count breaking ball to get out of the jam.

The Diamondbacks extended their advantage to 2-0 in the fourth on Kevin Newman's sacrifice fly.

Toronto would rally to tie, scoring one run in both the fifth and sixth innings. Kevin Kiermaier had an RBI groundout and Spencer Horwitz added a sac fly.

The Blue Jays pushed ahead 3-2 in the seventh when Ernie Clement's sac fly brought home Varsho, who led off the inning with a triple into the right-center gap. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s sac fly in the eighth made it 4-2.

Varsho returned to Chase Field for the first time since the Diamondbacks traded him to the Blue Jays for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Moreno following the 2022 season.

Nelson gave up three runs on five hits over seven innings. He struck out five. Justin Martinez (4-1) worked a scoreless ninth for the victory.

Toronto's Rodriguez gave up two runs on four hits and three walks over four innings, striking out seven.

Perdomo had a standout defensive play in the second inning, diving to catch Alejandro Kirk's grounder before sitting up and flinging the ball to first for the second out.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Diamondbacks: Manager Torey Lovullo said Gurriel was held out of the lineup because of left shoulder soreness.

UP NEXT

The D-backs will start RHP Yilber Diaz (0-0, 1.50 ERA) on Saturday. The Blue Jays counter with RHP José Berríos (8-6, 3.76 ERA)

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Toronto Blue Jays' Clement hits a sacrifice RBI flyout against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the seventh inning during a baseball game, Friday, July 12, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hits a RBI sacrifice fly out against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the eighth inning during a baseball game Friday, July 12, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Toronto Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk reacts after grounding out against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the seventh inning during a baseball game, Friday, July 12, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll hits an RBI single against the Toronto Blue Jays in the third inning during a baseball game, Friday, July 12, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yariel Rodríguez throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning during a baseball game Friday, July 12, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo makes an off-balance throw for an out on a ball hit by Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer in the first inning during a baseball game, Friday, July 12, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ryne Nelson throws against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning during a baseball game, Friday, July 12, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll (7) slides safely into second base under a tag by Toronto Blue Jays second base Spencer Horwitz, front left, in the third inning during a baseball game, Friday, July 12, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Alek Thomas hits a two-run single against the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth inning during a baseball game Friday, July 12, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Toronto Blue Jays third base Ernie Clement, center, avoids Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll (7) as he slides to the base in the ninth inning during a baseball game Friday, July 12, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Geraldo Perdomo, second from left, celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk off RBI sacrifice fly out in the ninth inning during a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Friday, July 12, 2024, in Phoenix. Arizona won 5-4. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb have new contracts that could keep the star quarterback-receiver combo together with the Dallas Cowboys for at least five more years.

Next up after Prescott agreed to the NFL's richest guaranteed contract is pass rusher Micah Parsons, who will want to be the highest-paid defensive player in league history.

Prescott is the first with a $60 million-per-year average in the $240 million, four-year deal that was reached hours before the Cowboys opened the season with a 33-17 throttling of Cleveland on the road.

The contract includes a record $231 million guaranteed, not a penny of which makes owner Jerry Jones wonder if the Cowboys can keep producing playoff-caliber rosters as they begin the quest for a fourth consecutive postseason trip.

“My assessment of where we’re going to be going in the future, we’re going to be able to handle this,” Jones said. “We’re going to be able to get players around (Prescott) that give us a chance to compete for a Super Bowl. He was our best chance at getting one.”

The Cowboys haven't been past the divisional round of the NFC playoffs since the last of the franchise's five Super Bowl titles to cap the 1995 season.

Prescott's postseason swings and misses are beginning to pile up, with the most stinging defeat coming last January. The 48-32 home wild-card loss to Green Bay left the 2016 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year with a 2-5 playoff record.

The Cowboys and Prescott's representatives worked on a deal for months. It only fueled speculation that Dallas was taking time to decide whether Prescott was another Tony Romo, who put up great numbers but had a decade of failures trying to get the Cowboys deep in the playoffs before Prescott took over.

Never a thought, Jones said.

“There’s a lot of me that thinks I’d hope Dak is our quarterback for the rest of my time. And that’s not just limited to the terms of this contract either,” said Jones, who turns 82 next month. “He’s a player that the team follows. That’s big.

“Roger Staubach told me when I asked him, ‘Drop back or move around quarterback?’” Jones said, recalling a conversation years ago with the Pro Football Hall of Fame QB who won two Super Bowls with the Cowboys. “He said, ‘I don’t know about any of that. Have someone that the team will follow.’ Dak’s the epitome of that.”

Parsons and his fellow defenders wrecked the game plan for Cleveland and Deshaun Watson in the first half. The Browns had 54 yards and one first down at the break. Parsons had one of six sacks and a team-high five of the Cowboys' 17 QB hits.

It was another illustration of the value of the 2021 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year not long before Parsons enters the final year of his rookie contract in 2025, just as Lamb did this year when he held out all of training camp before signing a $136 million, four-year extension.

Prescott, Lamb and their teammates on offense did their part in building a 20-3 halftime lead, twice going on touchdown drives of at least 70 yards. But that unit bogged down after the break. The only points for the offense were two field goals on possessions that started in Cleveland territory.

K Brandon Aubrey was 4 of 4 on field goals, starting with a 57-yarder in the first half. The second-year player is now 40 of 42 in a career that started with an NFL record 35 consecutive makes last season. Aubrey has yet to miss in 12 attempts from at least 50 yards. He had two such kicks against the Browns.

There has been plenty of talk about diminutive second-year running back Deuce Vaughn getting more opportunities. There were plenty in the preseason again, but the regular season looks similar to 2023 as well — so far. The 5-foot-5 Vaughn had just one carry for 4 yards, and the Cowboys are a week closer to the possibility of activating Dalvin Cook. The veteran back signed near the end of training camp.

TE Jake Ferguson sprained his left knee in the third quarter against the Browns and didn't return, but the Cowboys are hopeful he won't miss a game.

60 — KaVontae Turpin's first career return for a touchdown was a 60-yarder on a punt against Cleveland. The 5-7 speedster went two seasons without a TD return after essentially making the team when he took back a kickoff and a punt for scores in a 2022 preseason game.

The first half of the season is heavy on road games for the defending NFC East champs, but a two-game homestand is next. New Orleans visits Sunday after blowing out Carolina at home 47-10. Lamar Jackson and Baltimore are on deck in Week 3.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin celebrates on the bench after returning a Cleveland Browns punt for a touchdown in the second half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Dallas Cowboys' Micah Parsons celebrates as he walks off the field after the team's NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Dallas Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb celebrates as he walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy walks off the field after his team's NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Cleveland Browns' Amari Cooper, left, and Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott, right, greet each other after their team's NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) throws a pass under pressure from Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) in the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)