BOSTON - In the top of the ninth, when the Diamondbacks put runners at second and third with one out, Boston manager Terry Francona had David Aardsma intentionally walk Chris Snyder, loading the bases and bringing up Justin Upton.

Why, you ask? Upton certainly wasn’t a double-play candidate, having banged into only two this season.

But Upton was a prime strikeout candidate. He entered the game third in the league with a whopping 87 whiffs. Make that 88. Aardsma punched him out, and then fanned Eric Byrnes, too, keeping it a 2-1 game.