Dose of Venom: Arroyo’s complete game highlights D-backs’ victory over Nationals

PHOENIX — See, now that’s how you win a home game.

Of course, it helps to have Bronson Arroyo on the mound. He has quickly become the Arizona Diamondbacks’ most effective starter, at least recently.

Arroyo started what he finished against the Washington Nationals, throwing the Diamondbacks’ first complete game of the season.

“They’re always great,” he said after the 3-1 victory in front of 19,025 at Chase Field on Tuesday. “You don’t get too many of those a year. If you get three of them in a season, that’s a lot, especially for a guy like myself. I enjoy pitching a good bit of innings throughout the year. I got off to a slow start so that’s my way of catching up a little bit.”

It was Arroyo’s 16th complete game of his career and his first since July 22, 2013 at San Francisco.

“That was outstanding. It’s what we needed,” D-backs manager Kirk Gibson said.

Arroyo (4-2) allowed the one run on seven hits. He walked one and struck out seven, mixing speeds and changing locations to keep the hitters off balance.

“With him throwing so many different pitches and mixing stuff up, as a hitter I know it’s not a fun at-bat,” said Paul Goldschmidt, who delivered what proved to be the game-winning hit, a two-run double in the fifth. “I’ve had some frustrating at-bats against him so from that standpoint it’s fun to see some other guys have to struggle.”

The win, just the fourth at home, evened the series at a game apiece.

THE GOOD:

Arroyo’s two hits tied him with Wade Miley for the most (five) among Diamondbacks pitchers. It was his eighth career multi-hit game as he joined Tim Hudson as the only pitchers to record two hits in a game off Stephen Strasburg. Hudson did it on April 13, 2013 while with the Atlanta Braves.

After two hits through three innings, the Diamondbacks flexed their muscles for three hits, including an RBI single by Miguel Montero, in the fourth. It was his 400th career RBI and tied the game at one. Montero has reached base via hit/walk/hit-by-pitch in 21 of his last 23 games.

A.J. Pollock’s two-out single in the fourth inning extended his hitting streak to seven games (.400, 10-for-25).

Aaron Hill had one hit in four at-bats and is now hitting .338 (23-for-68) since April 23.

Goldschmidt recorded his 15th and 16th doubles of the season.

THE BAD:

Martin Prado committed his eighth error of the season, depositing the ball into the Nationals’ dugout as he tried to throw out Kevin Frandsen, who bunted up the third base line. Prado had 10 errors in 152 games last season.

The Nationals scored first for the second straight game in the series, getting an RBI triple from Ian Desmond in the second, the first—and only, run allowed by Arroyo in his past three starts.

The Diamondbacks were held hitless after Goldschmidt’s two-run double in the fifth as the final 11 batters were retired in order.

Gerardo Parra went 0-for-4, seeing his 10-game hitting streak come to an end.

STAT(S) OF THE GAME:

110: The number of pitches thrown by Arroyo, who never threw more than 16 in any one inning.

8: The number of hits Strasburg, who suffered his first career loss against the Diamondbacks, allowed, tying a season-high.

HE SAID IT:

“You just want to do it at home just because you don’t want to start thinking that there’s some sort of thing going on, some sort of jinx that you can’t win ballgames in one place,” Arroyo said as the Diamondbacks improved to 4-16 in home games.

NOTED:

Arroyo is 3-0 with a 0.39 ERA (1 ER in 23.1 IP) in his last three starts.

Arroyo recorded his 1500th career strikeout (Denard Span) in the first inning.

Arroyo has a three-game winning streak for the first time since May 12-24, 2013.

Arroyo has thrown at least seven innings with one earned run or less in three straight starts for the first time since September 24, 2009 – April 8, 2010.

UP NEXT:

The Diamondbacks and Nationals wrap up the three-game series with a matinee affair on Wednesday, May 14. First pitch is scheduled for 12:40 p.m. with pregame coverage beginning 30 minutes earlier on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.

A pair of right-handers take the mound in Brandon McCarthy (1-6, 5.66 ERA) and Doug Fister (0-1, 10.38 ERA). McCarthy in his last outing retired the first nine before letting nine of the next 10 batters he faced reach base, resulting in a season-worst seven runs allowed in a season-low 3.1 innings at the White Sox.

Fister, meanwhile, is making just his second start after missing the season’s first five weeks because of a strained right lat muscle.

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