Ketel Marte’s two-out RBI single in the seventh inning Thursday night snapped a tie and lifted the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks to a 4-3 win over the slumping San Diego Padres.
Corbin Carroll doubled off reliever Jeremiah Estrada (2-1) before Marte delivered the hit that gave Arizona its fifth win in six games. Kevin Ginkel (5-1) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win and Paul Sewald earned the save, his seventh.
It was the fifth straight loss for San Diego, spoiling a three-hit performance by Fernando Tatis Jr. that extended his hitting streak to 12 games. The Padres had the go-ahead runs at second and third with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, but pinch hitter Manny Machado grounded out to end the threat.
Neither starting pitcher was involved in the decision. Arizona’s Slade Cecconi lasted 4 1/3 innings, permitting three runs off seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts. San Diego’s Randy Vasquez gave up six hits and three runs in 6 2/3 innings, walking none and whiffing three.
The Arizona offense, which propelled the team to a four-game winning streak before a 9-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, was rolling early. Christian Walker put the visitors up 1-0 with a two-out RBI double to center in the first that scored Carroll.
The Diamondbacks showed off their power in the second. Eugenio Suarez rifled a down-and-away sinker from Vasquez 408 feet to center for just his fifth homer of the year, followed five pitches later by Gabriel Moreno’s second homer, off a curve.
Cecconi took a 3-0 lead into the fifth when San Diego finally cracked the code against him. Kyle Higashioka jacked his third homer of the year, a liner into the first deck of the Western Metal Supply building in left, to get the Padres on the board.
Later in the inning, Jake Cronenworth evened the score when he greeted reliever Joe Mantiply with a two-run double that chased home Luis Arraez and Tatis, both of whom also benefitted from a throwing error by left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
–Field Level Media
