The Arizona Diamondbacks didn’t waste any time breaking this game open.
Ketel Marte and Alex Avila each hit two-run homers and the Diamondbacks scored eight runs in the first three innings to power their way to a 9-3 victory
over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night.
”We just did a good job of being aggressive in the zone
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Arizona center fielder Jon Jay said. ”You saw guys put some good barrels on
balls and we were ready to hit right from the start.”
Marte’s blast capped a three-run first, while Avila’s shot in the third extended the NL West-leading Diamondbacks’ advantage to 8-0.
Jay doubled in each of the first two innings, the second of which drove in two runs. The center fielder is hitting .340 in 13 games since being acquired
June 6 from Kansas City in a trade.
”I feel very fortunate to have been traded here,” Jay said. ”It’s a great group of guys who know how to go about their business. You can see why this team
is successful.”
Staked to the early cushion, Zack Godley (8-5) won his third straight start. He gave up three runs – two earned – and four hits in six innings with five
strikeouts and three walks.
”A lot of times it’s hard to pitch in games like this because you can lose your concentration with the big lead, but he kept making pitches,” Arizona
manager Torey Lovullo said.
Godley, though
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said he didn’t feel any pressure in trying to hold the eight-run advantage.
”Heck, I’ll take eight runs in the first three innings every time,” he said with a smile.
Avila finished with three RBIs as he also doubled home a run in the ninth. The veteran catcher entered the game hitting .109.
Chad Kuhl (5-5) lasted just two-plus innings and was lifted following Avila’s homer. Kuhl was tagged for eight runs and eight hits after allowing three earned
runs or less in seven of his previous eight starts.
”I don’t think balls were coming out (of his hand) as they have for whatever that reason may be,” Kuhl said. ”I just felt like tonight was a little bit
different. They hammered balls over the plate. You just try your best to move on
from this one.”
Kuhl was supposed to pitch Wednesday night against Milwaukee but the game was rained out after a delay of slightly more than two hours. Lovullo thought that
might have worked in the Diamondbacks’ favor.
”He had to reverse his game plan,” Lovullo said. ”He thought he was starting against the Brewers and then he had less than a day to prepare for us. That’s
difficult.”
Pittsburgh rookie Austin Meadows had three hits.
Daniel Descalso’s sacrifice fly brought home the game’s first run before Marte followed with his sixth home run into the right-field stands. Paul
Goldschmidt singled in Jay in the second to make it 6-0.
Francisco Cervelli hit an RBI single in the fourth inning for the Pirates. Starling Marte doubled in a run and scored on Colin Moran’s sacrifice fly in the
sixth.
The Diamondbacks have scored 35 runs in going 3-1 against Pittsburgh this season.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Diamondbacks: RHP Shelby Miller (Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery) rejoined the team following four minor league rehab starts and is
scheduled to be activated from the disabled list Monday to pitch at Miami.
Miller was injured April 22, 2017, while facing the Los Angeles Dodgers. He will
take the rotation spot of RHP Matt Koch, who was optioned to Triple-A
Reno
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while RHP Jake Barrett was recalled from the Aces to provide extra bullpen help
and got the final out.
Pirates: RHP AJ Schugel (right shoulder discomfort) has started playing catch on flat ground at the team’s spring training facility in Bradenton, Florida. The
reliever has been on the DL all season.
TIME TO MAKE UP
Wednesday’s rainout will be made up July 14 when the Pirates and Brewers play a traditional doubleheader starting at 12:35 p.m. ET.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks: LHP Patrick Corbin (6-5, 3.48 ERA) is 1-2 with a 5.90 ERA in five career starts against the Pirates.
Pirates: RHP Ivan Nova (4-5, 4.42) has won both starts with a 1.54 ERA since being activated from the DL on June 10. He missed two weeks with a sprained
right ring finger.
—
ATLANTA — The San Diego Padres know they won’t be getting many innings from their first pitcher on Sunday. The Atlanta Braves hope that isn’t the case with
their starter as well.
Atlanta right-hander Julio Teheran will make his first start since being activated from the disabled list Saturday to face San Diego, which will use a
bullpen game in the finale of the four-game series at SunTrust Park.
The Braves (41-29) increased their lead in the National League East to 2 1/2 games with a 1-0 victory on Saturday that guaranteed the Padres (34-39) wouldn’t
win a sixth consecutive series.
Teheran (4-4, 4.31 ERA) came out after one batter in the fifth inning of a loss at San Diego on June 4 because of a right thumb contusion and hopes the
rest during his DL stint will help him regain some of his lost velocity.
The 27-year-old former all-star gave up three homers while losing his third straight start. His average fastball velocity this season is 89.2 mph compared
with 91.4 mph last year.
Even before jamming a finger while batting, Teheran’s fastballs were mostly in the 85-87 mph range against the Padres, and three long balls raised his
season total to 14.
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Teheran admitted for the first time last Sunday while the Braves were in Los
Angeles playing the Dodgers. “Obviously as a pitcher you have games where you
don’t feel 100 percent. This year for me it’s been kind of up and down.”
Teheran is 1-3 with a 6.11 ERA and eight home runs allowed in 28 innings during his past five starts.
“Whenever you’re fighting through soreness, one day you feel good and the next day you don’t. You still go out there and compete,” he said. “I don’t think
it’s a big deal. But working on it, we’ll see if this (next) couple of months
we’ll get my velo back.”
Right-handed reliever Matt Strahm (1-2, 2.55) will get his fourth spot start for the Padres as manager Andy Green turns to his bullpen to fill in the
rotation spot left open by the hip injury to rookie left-hander Joey
Lucchesi.
Strahm has a 1.23 ERA in 7 1/3 innings as a starter after throwing three perfect innings in the Padres’ victory over the Cardinals in St. Louis on
Tuesday.
Submarine right-hander Adam Cimber followed Strahm with one-hit ball for three scoreless innings and the Padres won their second straight bullpen game
after a victory over the Braves on June 6 in San Diego.
“It’s got to be tough as a hitter,” Green said. “First, you have a lefty slinger throwing 95-96 (mph). Next at-bat, you’ve got a drop-down righty coming
from underneath. It’s just two radically different
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and it plays well off each other and keeps guys uncomfortable. By the time
you’re up a third time, you’re facing a back-end reliever.”
Strahm pitched a perfect inning in relief against the Braves two days before his start in San Diego, when he allowed a first-inning homer by Freddie Freeman
but only one other hit in 2 1/3 innings of the 3-1 win by the Padres.
Teheran’s 11-4 loss in San Diego gave him a 4-3 record and 4.13 ERA in nine career starts against the Padres.
