A closer look: D-backs open 10-game homestand with offensive explosion
Jul 21, 2012, 5:20 AM | Updated: 6:27 am
Sure, you could read the box score and know who won, but we
all
know that won’t tell you everything that happened in a baseball
game. So, we will give you a closer look, providing you with the
analysis, quotes and notes from the D-backs’ July 20 win over the Astros. Final
score: Diamondbacks 13, Astros 8.
The Good:
Coming off a 2-5 road trip, the Diamondbacks took out their frustrations on Houston with a 13-run, 14-hit offensive attack to win the opener of the three-game series. The 13 runs were one of the team’s season-high and marked the sixth time this season they’ve scored in double-digits.
With a three-run third inning and a five-run fifth inning, the Diamondbacks scored three-plus runs in two or more innings in the same game for the first time since June 20 vs. Mariners and the sixth time this season, all at home.
The Diamondbacks sent nine batters to the plate in the fifth and seventh innings, marking the first time they’ve batted around twice in the same game.
The Bad:
Despite the win to even his record at 8-8, Trevor Cahill again struggled in the first inning. He gave up three consecutive hits to begin the game, putting his team in an early 2-0 hole. Cahill has allowed 16 ER in 19 IP for a 7.58 ERA in the first inning this season.
He Said It:
“If you look up and down the lineup, just great production from everybody, just kept the pressure on,” manager Kirk Gibson said. “We had 21 attempts with runners in scoring postion, 10 of them we got in. We only left six guys on base.”
Noted:
On the night Justin Upton hit his 99th career home run (a two-run opposite field shot on an 0-2 pitch in the third), Ryan Wheeler recorded his first big league hit (a single to center in the seventh) in his Major League debut.
Coming Up Next:
The Diamondbacks continue their series with Houston Saturday with Wade Miley (10-5, 3.13) taking the mound against Dallas Keuchel (1-1, 2.45). It will be Miley’s first career start against the Astros.
