Diamondbacks top Angels 5-1 to salvage final game of series
Blaze Alexander had two hits as the bottom of the Diamondbacks' order was productive in a positive result just before the All-Star break. Alexander was batting eighth and Herrera ninth for Arizona, which won for just the fourth time in its past 12 games.
Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly (8-5) overcame early control trouble to give up one run and one hit over five innings. He had six strikeouts, with two of his four walks to the first three Angels batters of the game.
Mike Trout drove in a run for the Angels, who fell short in their bid to earn a third home series sweep since the start of June.
Los Angeles right-hander Jose Soriano (6-7) gave up five runs, but just one was earned over five innings, with three walks.
The Angels led 1-0 after Trout's RBI single in the third inning.
The Diamondbacks moved in front 4-1 in the fourth inning on a game-tying grounder from Eugenio Suarez, an RBI double from Alexander and Herrera's two-run double. Suarez added an RBI double in the fifth.
With runners at first and second and nobody out for the Diamondbacks in the fourth, Angels third baseman Yoan Moncada misplayed Suarez's grounder to his left, opening the door for the four-run inning. Moncada, who has been bothered with knee soreness, was replaced on defense in the sixth inning by Kevin Newman.
Key stat
Kelly is 5-1 with a 2.67 ERA in his 11 starts that have come immediately after an Arizona loss, with opponents batting under .200 in those games.
Up next
Both teams return to action Friday after the All-Star break: Arizona is home to the St, Louis Cardinals; Los Angeles is at Philadelphia.
___
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
34 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
A mix of youth and chemistry has Red Sox rolling into All-Star break on 10-game winning streak
BOSTON (AP) — Many of the Boston Red Sox players started wearing T-shirts during batting practice and in the clubhouse the past week with a quote from teammate Romy Gonzalez written across the front. It says: 'Tremendously locked in.' They certainly look that way heading into the All-Star break. On Sunday, Ceddanne Rafaela hit a two-run homer and the Red Sox (53-45) posted their 10th straight victory with a 4-1, series-sweeping win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. 'There's two things: We're young and we're athletic and that doesn't slump to be honest with you,' said manager Alex Cora, who reminded some of his younger players to lead with energy in late May. 'I talked to some of the kids in Atlanta and their job is to, of course, play as hard as you can,' he said. 'I told them: 'There's no excuse for you guys not bringing the energy every single day. It starts in the clubhouse with the music.'' The 24-year-old Rafaela has joined three rookies: infielder Marcelo Mayer, outfielder Roman Anthony and catcher Carlos Narváez to give the Red Sox a jolt of successful youth leading them into the break. Following a series-opening loss in New York on June 6, the Red Sox dropped to 10 1/2 games behind the AL East-leading Yankees. Now, just over a month later, they're a game behind them for second place, trailing the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays. 'It's been fun the last 10 days,' said Rafaela, who is hitting .421 with five homers and 15 RBIs during a career-best 10-game hitting streak. 'Yes, we've been winning and it's always good to win,' he said. 'I think it's the most fun I've (ever) had.' Veteran Trevor Story, who had struggled during three-injury plagued seasons with the Red Sox after signing a six-year, $140-million contract as a free agent in March 2022, has picked it up by playing solid defense at short with timely hitting. 'We're playing well,' Cora said. 'Trevor and Rafaela have been amazing.' The streak comes less than a month after Boston shipped Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. Story sees the club believing it has finally found its stride. 'I think we have more of an identity now,' he said. 'We're starting to believe that I think we can win in different ways. Like we've shown in this 10-gamer, we can slug, or we can win one-run games, we can steal bases. I think playing good defense is a good part of that. I think it all starts with the pitching, which has been lights out.' 'Yeah, energy, chemistry,' Cora said. 'Winning's better that losing. We're excited about going to the ballpark.' ___
San Francisco Chronicle
34 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Aaron Judge is barreling toward the hallowed 500-homer club. He might be joined by several peers
Aaron Judge became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 350 career homers on Saturday and it feels inevitable that the Bronx slugger will join the hallowed 500-homer club sometime in the next several years. He could have plenty of company. The 28-player group could swell significantly in the coming decade, with Yankees teammate Giancarlo Stanton (432), Mike Trout (395), Paul Goldschmidt (370), Manny Machado (359), Freddie Freeman (353), Nolan Arenado (351) and Bryce Harper (346) all within striking distance. Lurking a little further down the active leaderboard, Kyle Schwarber (314), Eugenio Suarez (307), Mookie Betts (282), Francisco Lindor (267), Shohei Ohtani (257) and Pete Alonso (247) are piling up big numbers and still in their early 30s. And then there's Juan Soto, who already has 224 homers at the tender age of 26. Some are stronger candidates than others, given their injury history and age. The 35-year-old Stanton has battled various ailments over the past several seasons, but has been productive when he's played. The 33-year-old Trout has been slowed by injuries, too, but hit enough homers in his 20s that it would be surprising if he didn't eventually reach the mark. This generation's group of sluggers is reminiscent of a stretch from 2001 to 2009, when Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr., Jim Thome, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Manny Ramirez, Frank Thomas and Gary Sheffield all made it to 500. The biggest difference is several of those players' accomplishments were tainted — at least to some — because it was part of a era that included widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs. The club has been relatively hard to join over the past decade. The last to reach 500 was Detroit's Miguel Cabrera on Aug. 22, 2021. Before that, Red Sox star David Ortiz slugged his 500th homer in 2015. Even among the elite sluggers, Judge stands out for the speed in which he's piling up dingers. Many forget he didn't play his first full big league season until he was 25, but the 33-year-old has needed just 1,088 games to reach 350 homers. Unsung non All-Stars This group of players won't be featured at the All-Star game in Atlanta on Tuesday, but they are having great under-the-radar seasons through the first half. Ceddanne Rafalea, Red Sox: The 24-year-old center fielder has blossomed in his second full MLB season and is hitting .271 with 14 homers, 48 RBIs and 13 stolen bases, all while playing excellent defense. Nico Hoerner and Michael Busch, Cubs: Hoerner continues to be one of the game's best second basemen, batting .283 with 18 doubles, 39 RBIs and 16 stolen bases, all while providing Gold Glove-caliber defense. The 27-year-old Busch is batting .290 with 19 homers, providing the NL Central-leading Cubs some thump. Cristopher Sanchez, Phillies: The left-hander has been a big part of a stacked Philadelphia rotation with a 8-2 record, 2.50 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 115 innings. He put an exclamation point on his first half on Sunday, giving up just one run over 7 1/3 innings in a 2-1 win over the Padres. Framber Valdez, Astros: The righty had a terrific first half with a 10-4 record, 2.75 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 121 innings. Trivia Question Soto's 224 career homers lead the pack for MLB players who haven't turned 30 years old. Who are the other players in their 20s that round out the top five? Here come the Red Sox The Boston Red Sox have won 10 straight games heading into the All-Star break — their longest winning streak since 2018 — setting up an intriguing second half for a club that looked very average for most of the season's first three months. Rafaela has been one of the major catalysts for Boston's surge, hitting a walk-off homer on Friday night and another two-run homer in Sunday's win. The AL East race could be a barnburner as summer turns to fall with the Blue Jays (55-41), Yankees (53-43), Red Sox (53-45) and Rays (50-47) all in the mix. Even the last-place Orioles aren't completely out of it yet, sitting at 43-52 which is 11 1/2 games out of first place. ___
Fox Sports
34 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Aaron Judge is barreling toward the hallowed 500-homer club. He might be joined by several peers
Associated Press Aaron Judge became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 350 career homers on Saturday and it feels inevitable that the Bronx slugger will join the hallowed 500-homer club sometime in the next several years. He could have plenty of company. The 28-player group could swell significantly in the coming decade, with Yankees teammate Giancarlo Stanton (432), Mike Trout (395), Paul Goldschmidt (370), Manny Machado (359), Freddie Freeman (353), Nolan Arenado (351) and Bryce Harper (346) all within striking distance. Lurking a little further down the active leaderboard, Kyle Schwarber (314), Eugenio Suarez (307), Mookie Betts (282), Francisco Lindor (267), Shohei Ohtani (257) and Pete Alonso (247) are piling up big numbers and still in their early 30s. And then there's Juan Soto, who already has 224 homers at the tender age of 26. Some are stronger candidates than others, given their injury history and age. The 35-year-old Stanton has battled various ailments over the past several seasons, but has been productive when he's played. The 33-year-old Trout has been slowed by injuries, too, but hit enough homers in his 20s that it would be surprising if he didn't eventually reach the mark. This generation's group of sluggers is reminiscent of a stretch from 2001 to 2009, when Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr., Jim Thome, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Manny Ramirez, Frank Thomas and Gary Sheffield all made it to 500. The biggest difference is several of those players' accomplishments were tainted — at least to some — because it was part of a era that included widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs. The club has been relatively hard to join over the past decade. The last to reach 500 was Detroit's Miguel Cabrera on Aug. 22, 2021. Before that, Red Sox star David Ortiz slugged his 500th homer in 2015. Even among the elite sluggers, Judge stands out for the speed in which he's piling up dingers. Many forget he didn't play his first full big league season until he was 25, but the 33-year-old has needed just 1,088 games to reach 350 homers. Unsung non All-Stars This group of players won't be featured at the All-Star game in Atlanta on Tuesday, but they are having great under-the-radar seasons through the first half. Ceddanne Rafalea, Red Sox: The 24-year-old center fielder has blossomed in his second full MLB season and is hitting .271 with 14 homers, 48 RBIs and 13 stolen bases, all while playing excellent defense. Nico Hoerner and Michael Busch, Cubs: Hoerner continues to be one of the game's best second basemen, batting .283 with 18 doubles, 39 RBIs and 16 stolen bases, all while providing Gold Glove-caliber defense. The 27-year-old Busch is batting .290 with 19 homers, providing the NL Central-leading Cubs some thump. Cristopher Sanchez, Phillies: The left-hander has been a big part of a stacked Philadelphia rotation with a 8-2 record, 2.50 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 115 innings. He put an exclamation point on his first half on Sunday, giving up just one run over 7 1/3 innings in a 2-1 win over the Padres. Framber Valdez, Astros: The righty had a terrific first half with a 10-4 record, 2.75 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 121 innings. Trivia Question Soto's 224 career homers lead the pack for MLB players who haven't turned 30 years old. Who are the other players in their 20s that round out the top five? Here come the Red Sox The Boston Red Sox have won 10 straight games heading into the All-Star break — their longest winning streak since 2018 — setting up an intriguing second half for a club that looked very average for most of the season's first three months. Rafaela has been one of the major catalysts for Boston's surge, hitting a walk-off homer on Friday night and another two-run homer in Sunday's win. The AL East race could be a barnburner as summer turns to fall with the Blue Jays (55-41), Yankees (53-43), Red Sox (53-45) and Rays (50-47) all in the mix. Even the last-place Orioles aren't completely out of it yet, sitting at 43-52 which is 11 1/2 games out of first place. Trivia Answer Rafael Devers (217), Ronald Acuna Jr. (177), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (172) are two through four. Yordan Alvarez and Austin Riley are tied for fifth at 167. Cody Bellinger has 212 homers but turned 30 on Sunday. ___ AP MLB: recommended Item 1 of 3
