Taiwanese-American outfielder Corbin Carroll on Wednesday swiped his 50th base of the season, followed with his 25th homer and then made a nice, running defensive play to track down a line drive in left field that wrapped up Arizona’s 7-1 win over the San Francisco Giants.
Just another day in one of the most prolific seasons for a rookie in MLB history.
Carroll had four hits, including a solo homer, and Merrill Kelly threw 6-2/3 strong innings as the Diamondbacks won their fifth straight game.
Photo: AFP
Arizona are one game in front of the Chicago Cubs for the second of three National League wild-card berths.
“I’m proud of it, but at the same time we’ve talked about this as a team,” Carroll said. “This is the time of the year where we’re not worried about personal accomplishments. That’s out the window at this point. All that matters is getting the win.”
The Diamondbacks have been winning a lot lately. Much of the reason is Carroll, who is the first rookie to enter the 25-50 club.
The Giants have lost five of their past six, fell to 76-76 for the season, and are 3.5 games back for the final playoff spot with 10 games remaining.
“These were must-win games and, going back several games, those were also must-win games,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “Now, the math is not on our side. Every game is one we have to win.”
Kelly (12-7) gave up one run on three hits, walking two and striking out five. The veteran right-hander bounced back from a tough outing in New York at the weekend, when he gave up seven runs in five innings against the Mets.
The Diamondbacks’ four-run seventh inning put the game out of reach. Carroll and Ketel Marte led off with back-to-back homers off reliever Ryan Walker, extending Arizona’s lead to 5-1. Gabriel Moreno and Emmanuel Rivera added RBI singles to push the margin to 7-1.
“Today was great,” Carroll said. “It’s fun to add those runs late, take the pressure off the bullpen. Those are probably the games that are the most fun.”
Moreno and Christian Walker both had three hits. Alek Thomas added an RBI double. Marte’s homer was his 24th of the season.
“It’s a lot of players putting the bat down, handing off to the brother behind them,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “Conceptually, we’re talking about connecting everything, staying connected at all times through nine innings, and it shows up like this.”
San Francisco right-hander Logan Webb (10-13) gave up three runs on nine hits and two walks over six innings, striking out four. The 26-year-old workhorse has thrown 207 innings this season.
LaMonte Wade Jr started the game with a homer, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead. The Diamondbacks responded in the bottom of the first when Walker’s infield single brought home Carroll.
The Diamondbacks had 14 hits, while the Giants had just three.
Elsewhere, the Astros edged the Orioles 2-1, the Twins tamed the Reds 5-3, the Blue Jays battered the Yankees 6-1, the Padres pipped the Rockies 3-2, the Angels routed the Rays 8-3, the Nationals whipped the White Sox 13-3 and the Royals defeated the Guardians 6-2.
The Pirates crushed the Cubs 13-7, the Rangers routed the Red Sox 15-5, the Tigers downed the Dodgers 4-2, the Mets mastered the Marlins 8-3, the Mariners sank the Athletics 6-3, the Brewers crushed the Cardinals 8-2 and the Phillies beat the Braves 6-5 in 10 innings.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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