Tommy Troy hits 1st home run, drops savvy bunt to help Diamondbacks defeat Dodgers

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks needed any spark to get their offense going after Los Angeles Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan retired 15 straight hitters at Chase Field on Monday. The D-backs had scored three runs over the previous two games, and Eduardo Rodriguez was pitching too well to be tagged with a loss.

Leave that to Tommy Troy, who in his eighth game since getting called up crushed his first major league home run to tie the ballgame at 1-1 in the sixth inning.

Troy clubbed the first of three Diamondbacks home runs to push past the National League West-leading Dodgers, 4-1.

Nolan Arenado hit the go-ahead solo shot in the seventh inning, and Troy stunned the Dodgers defense with a two-out bunt single in the eighth inning to set up Ketel Marte’s two-run insurance home run.

One at-bat after going deep, Troy perfectly placed a bunt to the left side, reaching first base without a throw. That led to Dodgers left-hander Jack Dreyer having to face Marte, who has been nightmare fuel for left-handed relievers over the past couple weeks.

“I saw (third baseman Max Muncy) go back. I’m like, here’s a good opportunity,” Troy said. “That’s something, even in the minor leagues, they ingrain on us. … I did it a bunch of times in Reno and got pretty good at it.”

Tommy Troy breaks down his bunt single and what it meant to hit his first home run against the Dodgers on Monday night.

And yes, he made a trade for the baseball that a fan caught in the stands. pic.twitter.com/qibqrv3BML

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) June 2, 2026

“That’s high baseball IQ,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “It’s things we believe in here.”

Marte massacred a slider 111.9 mph off the bat, a no-doubter to left field that snapped a three-game hitless streak.

He stays hot. pic.twitter.com/wknDE5bydy

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) June 2, 2026

After the Diamondbacks were out-homered 10-1 during a three-game sweep in Seattle over the weekend, they provided the timely slug to earn their first win of the season against the Dodgers.

Arizona improved to 32-27, snapping its three-game losing streak that followed an 11-2 stretch. The Dodgers fell to 38-22.

Troy held the baseball from his first home run in a bag when talking to reporters postgame, saying he made a trade with the fan who caught it that involved another baseball and a picture. He said the plan was to give the ball to his father.

Eduardo Rodriguez keeps Diamondbacks in game

Rodriguez kept the Diamondbacks in the game with no run support through six innings of work.

The Dodgers plated a run in the third inning on a Freddie Freeman ground out after Shohei Ohtani doubled to lead off the frame, but they only recorded one more hit off Rodriguez. The left-hander retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced.

The veteran dialed up the velocity on Monday, as his four-seam fastball was up 1.7 mph from its season average (93.6 mph versus 91.9 mph).

“The best I’ve felt with the fastball,” Rodriguez said. “You probably see on the numbers and everything, but like I said, feeling really good body-wise, everything. So I’ve got to take advantage of it. … We throw 30-plus starts in the year, and you’re going to have one or two like that. And you just have to enjoy it when it happens.”

"That's the best I ever feel with my fastball."

Eduardo Rodriguez dialed up his fastball in a six-inning gem against the Dodgers. The southpaw held Los Angeles to one run and five hits before the D-backs got the board and then pulled out a win on Monday. pic.twitter.com/nr1pS1gZD9

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) June 2, 2026

“I think he’s just staying behind the ball, everything is in sync, the lower half is matching the upper half and he’s letting it eat,” Lovullo said.

Rodriguez’s ERA on the season dropped to 2.24 (ninth in MLB among 72 qualified starters), and his ERA in six starts since the start of May is down to 1.36.

The Diamondbacks are 9-1 over his last 10 starts, as he has been as reliable this season as the club could have hoped for when he signed after the 2023 winter meetings.

Taylor Clarke followed with a 1-2-3 seventh inning, while Brandyn Garcia took care of the top of the order with a scoreless eighth.

Paul Sewald entered for the save and threw a 1-2-3 inning. The bullpen allowed one hit (an infield single) in three shutout innings against an offense that averaged seven runs per game over its last eight.

The Diamondbacks’ defense was largely stout behind the pitching staff, especially center fielder Jorge Barrosa, who started to give Ryan Waldschmidt a day off.

Barrosa made two diving/sliding/tumbling catches and tracked down fly balls in the gap in a standout defensive effort. First baseman Ildemaro Vargas also put forth a notable day with his glove, throwing out a runner at home in the second inning with catcher Gabriel Moreno putting down a perfect tag to prevent Mookie Betts from getting around him.

3 ABS challenges in a single at-bat?

Rodriguez had to battle Miguel Rojas during the fourth inning in a way he’d never had to before.

Rojas challenged three strike calls, winning the first two by 0.1 inches and less than 0.1 inches. On a 3-2 count, Rodriguez painted a fastball on the outside edge for a called strike three, which Rojas challenged.

The ballpark buzzed as the video board showed the pitch indeed hit the strike zone, and Rodriguez threw his arms up in a combination of triumph and relief.

“I’m laughing right now because I take advantage, and I ended up winning it,” Rodriguez said.

“But I don’t know, that was something crazy. I’ve never see something like that. … I threw back-to-back perfect pitches right there. He challenged that. That’s good on him. That’s a really good eye. … I throw the last one, and I see him tapping on his helmet. I was like, ‘No, man.'”

Miguel Rojas was on an ABS heater.

He had two called strikes overturned, both within 0.1 inches.

He then went back to the well when he got rung up on strikes.#Dbacks finally got the call confirmed. pic.twitter.com/G4MPQkJNkq

— Jake García (@Jake_M_Garcia) June 2, 2026

Monday’s attendance

31,410

Tuesday’s Diamondbacks-Dodgers starters

The Diamondbacks will start Michael Soroka (7-2, 3.25 ERA), who has allowed three earned runs over 12 innings in his last two starts. Left-hander Eric Lauer (2-5, 5.95 ERA) will pitch for the Dodgers.

The D-backs are 9-3 this season when facing left-handed starting pitchers.

The game will start at 6:40 p.m. MST on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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