A Long Ball Decides the Outcome
Nolan Arenado’s home run to left center, which traveled 385 feet, provided the decisive blow in a 3-2 victory for the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Houston Astros. The win on Sunday, September 6, at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas, improved Arizona’s record to 76-68, while the home Astros fell to 73-71. Attendance at the venue was 39,478.
Early Scoring and the Turning Point
The Astros took an early lead when Alvarez homered to right field for a distance of 337 feet in the first inning. Arizona responded in the second inning when McCann hit a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Carroll to score and tie the game at 1-1.
The momentum shifted decisively in the third inning when Arenado connected for his two-run homer, sending Marte home and giving the visitors a 3-1 advantage. Houston managed to pull one run back in the eighth inning when Wade Jr. singled to left field, allowing Altuve to score and Walker to reach second base.
Pitching Performance
Eduardo Rodriguez earned the win for Arizona, pitching six complete innings. He allowed three hits and one earned run while striking out six batters and walking two. Peter Lambert took the loss for Houston after seven innings of work.
He surrendered seven hits and three earned runs, recorded six strikeouts, and issued no walks. The Diamondbacks bullpen provided solid relief in the later innings. Juan Morillo pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowing one hit and no earned runs while striking out one batter.
Brandyn Garcia pitched one-third of an inning without allowing hits, earned runs, or walks. Jonathan Loaisiga pitched one inning, allowing three hits and one earned run while striking out two. Kevin Ginkel secured the save, pitching one scoreless inning with three strikeouts and no hits, earned runs, or walks.
For Houston, Miguel Ullola and Bryan Abreu each pitched one inning, allowing one hit and no earned runs, with one strikeout each.
Sources
https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401816834
