The Arizona Diamondbacks enjoyed their best game of the season at the plate as they thumped the visiting Athletics 15-5 on Wednesday to claim the rubber match of their three-game series in Phoenix.
Each of the starters in the lineup reached base, and nine Diamondbacks batters registered hits as the team posted season highs in runs, hits (17) and home runs (five).
Arizona also celebrated milestones as catcher James McCann (3-for-4, 3 RBIs) hit his 100th career homer in the fifth inning just two batters before rookie Ryan Waldschmidt (2-for-4, 3 RBIs) cracked his first. Gabriel Moreno hit a solo homer to cap the Diamondbacks’ seven-run fifth.
Ildemaro Vargas also finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI before closing the rout on the mound by allowing two runs in the ninth.
Corbin Carroll (2-for-4) homered and hit his MLB-best 11th triple. Tim Tawa (2-for-5) doubled and brought home a pair while Ketel Marte (2-for-4) doubled and scored. Nolan Arenado homered during his only official at-bat and scored three times while drawing three walks.
Merrill Kelly (8-8) was the beneficiary of this outburst as he went five innings and gave up two runs on five hits and a walk. He allowed a solo homer to the Athletics’ Jeff McNeil (2-for-4) in the fifth that tied the game at 2 after Carroll and Arenado put Arizona ahead with solo shots in the fourth.
It was all Arizona from there as the team clinched its eighth win in the last 10 games by scoring seven times in the fifth and five in the six.
The Athletics dropped to 2-13 in their last 15 as starter Gage Jump (3-6) gave up six runs in 4 2/3 innings on eight hits and four walks. He struck out five but also gave up three homers.
Reliever Yunior Tur, pitching in his second major league game, allowed eight runs on five hits and three walks in just 2/3 of an inning. He gave up the homers to McCann and Waldschmidt that made it 9-2 after five.
–Field Level Media
