The Arizona Diamondbacks will look for their fifth consecutive victory — and a three-game sweep — when they battle the host Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday afternoon in the finale of a nine-game road trip
Arizona went 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position but managed to come up with enough clutch hits to pull out a 4-3 win on Tuesday. Gabriel Moreno hit a home run and knocked in two runs and Corbin Carroll had three hits and the go-ahead RBI in the eighth inning to catapult the Diamondbacks
“I think that there’s a piece of confidence that it creates,” Carroll said of coming from behind. “At the same time, we have a group of guys that have that inner belief, no matter what is going on in the field.”
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. stayed hot with a double in the eighth to extend his hitting streak to 16 in a row, the longest active streak in Major League Baseball.
The Diamondbacks are 29-20 and nine games above .500 for the first time since Sept. 11, 2018, when they were 77-68
“We’re in a really good spot because we have a positive energy that we’re going to get the job done,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said.
The Diamondbacks will hand the ball to right-hander Zac Gallen (6-2, 2.95 ERA)
Gallen, Arizona’s unquestioned ace, struggled mightily in his last outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday as he allowed eight hits and a career-high eight runs, five earned, in 3 2/3 innings.
“I felt OK,” Gallen said after that outing. “Just kind of … the ball wasn’t really going where I wanted it to. I wasn’t trying to put too much stock into it really, you can’t get too crazy with what goes on down there in the bullpen, but I just knew I wasn’t super sharp.”
Gallen is 3-1 with a 1.93 ERA in four career starts against the Phillies
The Phillies will hope to avoid a series sweep in the finale
Bryce Harper had two of the Phillies‘ six hits Tuesday, but they went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and five left on base
“There’s nothing we can really talk about besides the fact that we have to get the job done,” Harper said. “We’re not doing it.”
The result was another loss for the defending National League champions, who fell four games below .500.
“It’s frustrating especially when you come back late,” manager Rob Thomson said. “We started slow with the bats.”
The Phillies tied the game at 3 in the seventh inning but couldn’t hold on
Giving up leads has been an issue all season.
“My sense is we’re going to fight our way out of this,” Thomson said.
Seranthony Dominguez continued his roller coaster season with a rough outing as he allowed two hits and one run without recording an out in taking the loss.
Dominguez’s ERA increased to 4.26.
“I still trust him,” Thomson said. “Guys are going to have bad nights. If he’s available tomorrow, I’m going to run him back out there.”
Lefty Ranger Suarez (0-1, 10.50) is scheduled to start for the Phillies
Suarez gave up five hits and four runs in two innings in his previous start against the Chicago Cubs, also on Friday.
In Suarez’s career against the Diamondbacks, he’s 1-3 with a 5.79 ERA in seven games with four starts
Brandon Marsh was held out of Tuesday’s game with right shoulder inflammation though he was available to be utilized as a pinch runner. Marsh is considered day-to-day and it’s unclear if he’ll be available on Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
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