The Sports Xchange
Jun 11, 2017
PHOENIX -- Robbie Ray outdueled Chase Anderson in a matchup of two of the majors' hottest pitchers before Arizona put away its latest home victory, an 11-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.
The Diamondbacks merged strong pitching with the long ball, hitting four homers against the Milwaukee bullpen. Arizona took two of three in the weekend series.
Brandon Drury, Chris Herrmann and David Peralta homered during a five-run Arizona seventh inning against relievers Carlos Torres and Neftali Feliz.
Paul Goldschmidt's grand slam in the eighth against Rob Scahill put what previously was a tightly played game out of reach as the surprising Diamondbacks won for the 11th time in their past 12 games at Chase Field, where they are 26-9 this season. They have won five of six overall.
Ray (7-3) struck out 12, gave up three hits and walked four over 6 2/3 scoreless innings. He won his fifth in a row, a streak in which he has allowed only one run in 37 innings -- an 0.24 ERA.
He is the first Arizona pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2004 to strike out at least 10 in three consecutive starts, and he is doing it in Johnson-like fashion with an overpowering-at-times fastball and an assortment of breaking pitches.
After striking out six in a span of seven batters, Ray was lifted after hitting Orlando Arcia with a pitch and walking pinch hitter Jesus Aguilar with two outs in the seventh.
Reliever J.J. Hoover then walked Lewis Brinson, who played in his first major league game, to load the bases, but Jorge De La Rosa came on to strike out Eric Thames on three pitches to end the threat. Thames is 1-for-24 against Arizona this season.
Drury, whose two-run homer carried the D-backs to a 3-2 victory Saturday night, then greeted Torres in the bottom of the seventh with his seventh homer -- a drive into the swimming pool in right field. After Daniel Descalso singled, Herrmann -- who is becoming Ray's designated catcher -- hit a drive over the right field wall for his sixth homer, just after a similar drive to left went foul at the last instant.
Feliz came on with two outs and walked Gregor Blanco before Peralta homered off the right field foul pole on a 2-2 pitch, his fifth homer of the season and the Diamondbacks' NL-leading 57th of the season at home. Arizona has homered in 15 consecutive home games.
Anderson (5-2) was nearly as effective as Ray, giving up one run and four hits and striking out eight over six innings, but the former Diamondbacks right-hander saw his three-game winning streak stopped.
His run of 21 consecutive scoreless innings also was halted, and quickly, as Peralta singled ahead of Goldschmidt's one-out double down the left field line in the first. Jake Lamb, who leads the majors with 57 RBIs, scored Peralta with a grounder to short.
Milwaukee didn't score until Keon Broxton homered in the ninth off Silvino Bracho.
NOTES: Arizona 1B Paul Goldschmidt's grand slam was the fourth of his career and his 14th homer of the season. Goldschmidt has reached base in 38 consecutive home games, a franchise record.... Diamondbacks LHP Robbie Ray has nine career games with at least 10 strikeouts, including five in 13 starts this season. ... Arizona RHP Zack Greinke was reinstated from the paternity list and RHP Tom Wilhelmsen was designated for assignment, a move that manager Torey Lovullo said was extremely difficult to make because of how valuable the 33-year-old reliever has been to the younger Diamondbacks relievers. ... Brewers RHP Jimmy Nelson, who starts Tuesday against St. Louis, is 0-8 in his career against the Cardinals. ... Brewers OF Lewis Brinson, considered the team's top prospect, made his major league debut by going 0-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base. He was robbed of a base hit by Arizona SS Nick Ahmed's diving stop of his hard-hit grounder in the first inning.