ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Diamondbacks’ Eugenio Suarez fills in cleanup role with 3 home runs

Jul 30, 2024, 11:26 PM | Updated: Aug 2, 2024, 9:21 am

Eugenio Suárez #28 of the Arizona Diamondbacks gives a thumbs up to Geraldo Perdomo #2 after hitti...

Eugenio Suárez #28 of the Arizona Diamondbacks gives a thumbs up to Geraldo Perdomo #2 after hitting a one run home run during the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Chase Field on July 30, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

(Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

PHOENIX — Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez has emerged as one of the hottest hitters in baseball and a natural fit to fill in for Christian Walker as Arizona’s cleanup hitter. Walker went on the injured list (oblique strain) before first pitch on Tuesday, and the D-backs slid Suarez into the spot for the first time this season.

Suarez responded with three home runs, as the Diamondbacks trounced the Washington Nationals 17-0. The D-backs (57-51) tied the franchise record with 22 hits, including seven in a row during a seven-run second inning.

Four hits came from Suarez, three each from Jake McCarthy and Geraldo Perdomo. Gabriel Moreno drove in three runs, and Ketel Marte picked up multiple hits for a staggering 10th time in his last 14 starts.

“Geno” chants are becoming more popular at Chase Field, as he has ingratiated himself after a coarse first impression over the opening two-and-a-half months.

“It made me feel very happy because I feel like I never had that earlier in this year,” Suarez said. “Now that I have it, feels great. It’s something that pushes me to do better every day and work hard every day to see the crowd because we play for them.”

Suarez crushed the second pitch he saw from Nationals starter Patrick Corbin in the first inning to open the scoring, 2-0. He contributed an RBI single during a seven-run second inning and smoked a second-deck dinger in the sixth.

His third home run came in the seventh, and he popped up in the eighth with a chance to pull a J.D. Martinez. The D-backs got eight hitters to the plate in the eighth despite the humongous lead to give Suarez a chance.

“I wasn’t thinking about the J.D. Martinez four-home run game, but I was thinking it’d have to go around a little while to give him one more opportunity,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “It was up to (Jose) Herrera who walked, and (Alek Thomas) who doubled off the right field wall. I thought it was set up perfectly for one of those storybook moments.”

It was the first three-homer game by a Diamondbacks player since Josh Rojas in 2022, and the second time Suarez reached the marker over his decade-long career. The other time he did so was in 2020 with no fans, so this was particularly sweet.

“It feels way different when you have crowds around and people cheering for you and I have my family here,” Suarez said. “I have my two daughters, my wife, my parents, my sister, my brother. I have everybody. And it’s even more special for me.”

The turnaround to Suarez’s season has been stark, considering his OPS was .591 at the end of June and now sits at .721 (.711 is league average).

Suarez hit below .200 in both May and June with four combined home runs. He is up to 10 home runs and 27 RBIs in July with one game to play, both tied for second in MLB and leading the National League. His strikeouts are down and line drive/hard contact rates are up.

“After a couple lean months, he really stuck with it,” Lovullo said. “He started to change a couple of his work habits, just little minor adjustments, and he’s really taken off. That was awesome watching that third one go over the fence and everybody in the dugout was celebrating with him.”

Suarez has had some constructive conversations with his coaches and has implemented more game-speed training, particularly hitting off the Trajekt machine more often to simulate at-bats against upcoming pitchers.

The veteran has pushed past slow first halves and broken out before, and Lovullo said the idea of designating him for assignment during the lowest moments never entered his office.

Suarez has been consistent saying he never gave up on himself, while Lovullo credited the veteran for remaining a positive clubhouse presence despite the underperformance.

“He was so steady emotionally that I was looking at him thinking, ‘Do you have a heartbeat?” Lovullo said.

“He just was so consistent with his attitude, and then his work ethic improved to that high intensity type of work, and he was accepting the coaching. He was accepting the coaching and the new style of coaching he was getting from us, and that’s what stands out to me.”

This could not come at a more opportune time. The D-backs have played their best baseball in July, to which Suarez has been a key contributor. Now Walker will miss weeks. It could be three, but it is early to tell, and Suarez’s continued production will be counted on to make up the difference.

The D-backs also swung a deal for first baseman Josh Bell at the trade deadline to help fill in.

Ryne Nelson continues to make his mark

Not to be lost in all the scoring and more scoring was the performance from starter Ryne Nelson.

Nelson delivered seven scoreless innings, allowed two hits and retired 17 of the last 18 batters he faced.

Speaking of hot Julys, Nelson finished the month with a 2.41 ERA across a team-high 37.1 innings. The D-backs have won all of his last five starts. This is the most effective stretch of his young career.

“When the offense puts up a bunch of runs, the other team tends to take a little bit more and be a little bit more passive,” Nelson said.

“So I think with that in mind, it was just getting ahead and filling up the zone. I felt like the slider and cutter were really good and the change-up as well, been working on the curveball and ended up getting one in there for a strike. Overall, just felt like I was aggressive working ahead. I think when I’m doing that, it usually ends up going well.”

D-backs go for the sweep

Arizona remains a half-game back of the third NL Wild Card spot, as all three teams ahead of them won on Tuesday.

The D-backs will, once again, play for a series sweep on Wednesday, something they have not accomplished since May 9 despite opportunities to do so in three of their last four series.

Zac Gallen gets the ball at 12:40 p.m. against Washington’s MacKenzie Gore.

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