Homer-happy Diamondbacks double up Phillies
EditorsNote: fixes “Goldschmidt” and adds “error” in 7th graf; fixes Salas’ inning total in 8th graf
Arizona catcher Alex Avila had a homer, two singles and two RBIs, and Jarrod Dyson and Daniel Descalso also homered in the Diamondbacks’ 8-4 victory over the host Philadelphia Phillies on a rainy Tuesday evening at Citizens Bank Park.
Avila and Dyson hit back-to-back homers in the second inning for a 2-0 lead, and Descalso hit a two-run homer to cap a three-run eighth inning as the Diamondbacks (16-6) tied the franchise record for best 22-game start.
Aaron Altherr had a two-run double and Cesar Hernandez had two hits and an RBI for the Phillies (14-8). Philadelphia had won four in a row and 11 of 13.
Avila had only four hits in his first 34 at-bats, entering the game with a .114 batting average, but he figured in the first three Arizona rallies in a game that was played in a steady rain that began in the fifth inning.
After Altherr’s double and Maikel Franco’s sacrifice fly gave the Phillies a 3-2 lead in the third inning off Arizona starter Robbie Ray, Avila singled around walks to Nick Ahmed and Dyson to open the fifth before David Peralta doubled in two runs off Phillies starter Vince Velasquez (1-3) to make it 4-3.
Avila singled in a run in the fifth inning for a 5-3 lead.
Hernandez’s RBI single in the sixth inning cut the Phillies’ deficit to 5-4 before Arizona scored three in the eighth. Paul Goldschmidt singled, stole second and took third on a throwing error before A.J. Pollock singled him home. Pollock stole second before Descalso hit his third homer of the season.
Pollock and Peralta had two hits apiece. Fernando Salas (2-1) pitched one inning for the win.
Ray gave up five hits and three runs in 4 2/3 innings, striking out 11 and walking three. Ray has 145 strikeouts in 102 1/3 innings in his past 18 road starts, an average of 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
Velasquez gave up four hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings, ending a streak of three straight quality starts. He struck out six and walked two.
—Field Level Media