The Arizona Diamondbacks were effective in a 4-2 series-winning game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Arizona Diamondbacks concluded their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 4-2 win on Sunday at Chase Field in Phoenix.
With the win, the Diamondbacks claimed the series and improved to 63-56.
Striking first
Arizona got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first inning when Ketel Marte capitalized on a leadoff walk by Geraldo Perdomo with a two-out, two-run home run.
It was Marte's 20th home run of the season, and it was a critical at-bat early to jumpstart things for the Diamondbacks. After Marte's home run, it did not take long for Arizona to strike again.
In the bottom of the second inning, Tyler Locklear hit a leadoff double before Ryan Waldschmidt made it to second on a sacrifice bunt due to a throwing error by Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski. Waldschmidt’s bunt also scored Locklear to make it a 3-0 game, and Perdomo advanced Waldschmidt to third on a groundout, but the latter was thrown out at home on a fielder’s choice resulting from a grounder by Corbin Carroll.
With two outs, Gabriel Moreno showed up in a big way with an RBI double to give the Diamondbacks a 4-0 advantage. After that, Arizona’s offense went cold, registering only two more hits for the remainder of the game, but the pitching staff kept the Dodgers in check.
Rodriguez’s big night
While the Diamondbacks' offense was racking up runs early, All-Star left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez was making sure nothing was coming easy for the Dodgers’ batting order.
Rodriguez opened the game by striking out two of the first three batters he faced. In the second inning, he sent the Los Angeles hitters down in order.
It was not until the third inning that Rodriguez gave up a run in the form of allowing an RBI double to Andy Pages. He also gave up an RBI triple to Kyle Tucker in the top of the sixth, but Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo left him in the game.
Rodriguez was eventually sent back to the dugout at the start of the eighth inning, and the production of his outing was as important as what the offense provided. Over seven innings of work, Rodriguez struck out nine batters while allowing five hits, two earned runs and two walks.
Rodriguez also earned the winning decision, which pushed him to 11-4 on the year with a 2.70 ERA. Taylor Clarke took over for him as the first reliever and allowed one hit in one inning of work, and Kevin Ginkel closed the game by striking out two of the three batters he faced.
Next, the Diamondbacks will host the Colorado Rockies for a three-game series that begins on Monday at 6:40 p.m. MST.
