Daulton Varsho’s homer highlighted a three-run fourth inning, while Zac Gallen yielded a run and pitched out of trouble in the fifth, as the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks snapped their six-game losing streak with Thursday night’s 3-1 win over the Chicago Cubs.
Josh Rojas and David Peralta (two hits) each delivered RBI singles for Arizona, which needed only one inning of offense to halt its longest skid of the season. Gallen (3-0) retired the first eight Cubs, but gave up an RBI double to Yan Gomes (two hits) in the fourth for one of the two hits he allowed.
The right-hander, whose ERA sits at 1.14 over seven starts, walked a season-high three batters, including two during a 40-pitch fifth, when he also hit Willson Contreras to load the bases with two outs. However, Gallen got Ian Happ to ground out, escaping unscathed before ending his night after five innings and 88 pitches.
Activated off the COVID-19 injured list to make his first start since May 1, Chicago’s Marcus Stroman (1-4), allowed those three runs — two earned — with five hits, and struck out six without walking a batter over five innings. Stroman retired the first nine batters he faced, five on strikeouts, but ran into trouble the second time around the Diamondbacks’ order.
Varsho opened the fourth with his drive into the center-field shrubbery for his seventh homer of the season and third in four career games at Wrigley Field. Ketel Marte later singled, went to second on a passed ball and scored on a single from Rojas, who advanced to second via right fielder Seiya Suzuki’s poor throw to the plate. Rojas came home on Peralta’s single for a 3-0 Arizona lead.
The Cubs, who posted just four hits, got their run in the bottom of that frame through Gomes’ two-out, run-scoring double into the left-field corner. They stranded nine and were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
Chicago, which took two of three at Arizona last weekend, has dropped two straight after winning a season-high four in a row and six of eight.
–Field Level Media
