Taiwanese-American outfielder Corbin Carroll on Saturday hit a two-run homer while Alek Thomas had a solo shot in Arizona’s three-run fifth inning as the Diamondbacks beat the Chicago Cubs 3-0 for their sixth win in seven games.
Zac Gallen gave up three hits in five scoreless innings, tying his career high with six walks, as defending National League (NL) champions Arizona moved three games over .500 for the first time this season.
Kevin Ginkel, Justin Martinez and Ryan Thompson each pitched a perfect inning, and Paul Sewald worked around Miles Mastrobuoni’s pinch-hit double in the ninth for his 15th save to complete the four-hitter.
Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY
“Our bullpen has been unbelievable all year,” Gallen said. “Going into the sixth inning with a three-run lead, I feel pretty confident with those guys down there.”
Thomas, from Chicago, homered for the third time against the Cubs in 16 career games. Carroll, struggling this season after being last year’s NL Rookie of the Year, went deep for the third time in four games, tagging Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks.
“For A.T., it’s nice to come home and hit a home run in front of his home crowd and his family,” Arizona manager Torrey Lovullo said. “Corbin put a really good swing on a pitcher that’s typically been very tough on us.”
Carroll’s homer was his sixth of the season. He hit 25 last year and batted .285, but his average this season is .211
The left-handed hitting Thomas reached out and lined a high sinker to the basket in right to put Arizona on the board 1-0 in the fifth. After Hendricks issued a walk, Carroll mashed a center-cut changeup 418 feet (127m) to right center.
In Minneapolis, Joey Ortiz hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 12th inning after hustling home for a go-ahead run in the 11th, one of many players to give the Milwaukee Brewers a spark out of the All-Star break to help them beat the Minnesota Twins 8-4.
“This was a relentless victory, if there ever was one,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.
Jackson Chourio had two RBIs on three singles and Brice Turang padded the lead in the five-run 12th with a two-run single for the Brewers, who finally finished the job long after starter Freddy Peralta’s six shutout innings.
In Seattle, Jake Meyers hit a go-ahead two-run homer off former Houston reliever Ryne Stanek in the seventh inning, as the Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 4-2 to take sole possession of the American League West lead for the first time this year.
Stuck playing catch-up through the first three months of the season, Houston has won six of eight to climb into first place all alone.
Seattle lost its fifth straight — its longest losing streak since dropping six in a row in May 2022 — and fell out of first place for the first time since May 11.
Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Dodgers pipped the Boston Red Sox 7-6 in 11 innings, the New York Mets blanked the Miami Marlins 1-0, and the Atlanta Braves edged the St Louis Cardinals 3-2 in 10 innings in their early game, but lost 9-5 in the late game.
The Tampa Bay Rays rocked the New York Yankees 9-1, the Detroit Tigers mauled the Toronto Blue Jays 7-3, the Oakland Athletics downed the Los Angeles Angels 8-2 and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1.
The Washington Nationals survived the Cincinnati Reds 5-4, the Baltimore Orioles outplayed the Texas Rangers 8-4, the San Diego Padres dominated the Cleveland Guardians 7-0, the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 6-1 and the Colorado Rockies overcame the San Francisco Giants 4-3.
Additional reporting by staff writer, with Reuters
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