Homer-happy Diamondbacks double up Phillies
Arizona catcher Alex Avila had three hits including a homer and two RBIs and Jarrod Dyson and Daniel Descalso also homered in the Diamondbacks' 8-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on a rainy evening at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday.
Avila and Dyson hit back-to-back homers in the second inning for a 2-0 lead and Descalso hit a two-run homer to cap a three-run eighth inning as the Diamondbacks (16-6) tied the franchise record for their best start.
Aaron Altherr had a two-run double and Cesar Hernandez had two hits and an RBI for the Phillies (14-8), who had won four in a row and 11 of 13.
Avila had only four hits in his first 34 at-bats, entering the game with a .114 batting average, but he figured in the first three Arizona rallies in a game that was played in a steady rain that began in the fifth inning.
After Altherr's double and Maikel Franco's sacrifice fly gave the Phillies a 3-2 lead in the third inning off Arizona starter Robbie Ray, Avila singled around walks to Nick Ahmed and Dyson to open the fifth before David Peralta doubled in two runs off Phillies starter Vince Velasquez (1-3) to make it 4-3.
Avila singled in a run in the fifth inning for a 5-3 lead.
Hernandez's RBI single in the sixth inning cut the Phillies' deficit to 5-4 before Arizona scored three in the eighth. Paul Goldchmidt singled, stole second and took third on a throwing before A.J. Pollock singled him home. Pollock stole second before Descalso hit his third homer of the season.
Pollock and Peralta had two hits apiece. Fernando Salas (2-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings for the win.
Ray gave up five hits and three runs in 4 2/3 innings, striking out 11 and walking three. Ray has 145 strikeouts in 102 1/3 innings in his last 18 road starts, an average of 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
Velasquez gave up four hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings, ending a streak of three straight quality starts. He struck out six and walked two.
--Field Level Media
