Gabriel Moreno blasts grand slam off Yoshinobu Yamamoto in win vs. Dodgers

PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno had perhaps his finest moment of the season on Thursday, smoking a grand slam off Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a 5-3 win at Chase Field.

The opposite-field blast gave Arizona a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning off a pitcher who had allowed only four earned runs in seven starts this season coming into Thursday.

Yamamoto hit Eugenio Suarez with a pitch to load the bases with no outs. He fell behind 2-0 in the count to Moreno and left a cutter down the middle, which the catcher clocked 105 mph.

Gabriel Moreno is feeling GRAND 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/nwc7rFw55D

— MLB (@MLB) May 9, 2025

“That’s one of my strengths,” Moreno said via Spanish interpreter of going the opposite way. “So just being able to get that consistency and keep going that way.”

That was Moreno’s first home run of the season and first since Aug. 5, right before he landed on the injured list with a groin strain last summer.

It was also his second career grand slam, the first coming at Petco Park against the Padres in 2023.

Moreno entered Thursday with only three extra-base hits this season — all doubles — and a slashline of .230/.316/.264.

He laced a single off of Yamamoto in the second inning before the grand slam and knocked another single in the eighth inning, his first three-hit game of the year.

“He’s a born hitter,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “He’s a hands, eye, barrel the baseball, he’s just good at doing that.

“So it was a matter of time before he figured that out. It’s just nice to see him do it to the opposite field because that tells me the swing is tight.”

Gabriel Moreno not the only D-back to homer vs. Dodgers

Ketel Marte finally blasted his first home run of the season as well.

Marte lined a cutter on the inside corner from Yamamoto over the wall in right field to take a 5-0 lead. He missed nearly a month on the injured list with a hamstring strain and had struggled to drive the ball since coming back last Friday.

He made a couple sterling defensive plays in the early innings. Perhaps they got him going.

Ketel Marte adds on with his first homer of the season! pic.twitter.com/rSSkA5HPj1

— MLB (@MLB) May 9, 2025

Brandon Pfaadt delivered 6.1 scoreless innings to earn the win, and the bullpen did just enough to keep the lead intact.

The Diamondbacks and Dodgers continue their series on Friday at 6:40 p.m.

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