D-backs’ series win knocks Dodgers out of first place in NL West

PHOENIX – In their final game of 2018 at Chase Field, the D-backs’ offense showed up to rain on the Dodgers’ parade and, at least temporarily, relocate L.A. to second place in the division with a 7-2 win.

Wednesday was Zack Greinke’s last start of the season. He came into the game with a 6-5 record and 3.83 ERA in 14 career starts against his former blue crew.

The Dodgers got to Greinke in the first inning with a pair of singles by Max Muncy and Manny Machado, which was followed by an RBI-single by Cody Bellinger that put L.A. up 1-0 after one.

The Dodgers added to their lead in the second inning with a leadoff double by Yasmani Grandal and an RBI-single by Chris Taylor that brought Grandal across home plate and increased the lead to two.

Despite their offensive struggles this month, the D-backs were able to string together some big innings. The second started with a solo home run by Socrates Brito, his first of the season. A.J. Pollock continued the offensive roll with a triple off of Stripling, and Nick Ahmed added to the lead with an RBI-double that scored Pollock.

Greinke got in on the offense in the second with a single, and Ketel Marte put the D-backs up 3-2 with an RBI single of his own to cap off the three-run inning.

Arizona’s bats came alive again in the fifth inning. A pair of singles by Eduardo Escobar and Paul Goldschmidt put two on for Pollock, who hit a 422-foot home run to right-center field that increased the lead to 6-2.

It was Pollock’s 21st home run of the season, a new career best, in what could be his final home game in a D-backs uniform.

“I think you always want to finish up strong, and it’s been a really tough month for us to say the least,” said Pollock after his 2-for-4 night with three RBI. “But last home game here and we came out and played some good baseball.”

While it wasn’t the best outing fans have seen from Greinke this season, he was effective in his six innings of work. He allowed two runs, seven hits, and two walks with six strikeouts. He threw 61 of his 101 pitches for strikes.

David Peralta added to the lead with his 30th home run of the season, a solo dinger in the bottom of the seventh. He is the sixth outfielder in Arizona’s history to hit 30+ in a season.

The bullpen did its part and held the Dodgers scoreless for the remainder of the game, giving the D-backs their first series win in the month of September.

THE GOOD

–David Peralta became the sixth outfielder in club history to hit 30 home runs in a season, joining Luis Gonzalez, Steve Finley, Reggie Sanders, Justin Upton, and Chris Young.

–Wednesday was the first time the D-backs have had multiple players with 30+ home runs in consecutive seasons since 1999-2000.

–Pollock’s home run in the fifth inning was his fifth home run since September 13.

–The loss for the Dodgers, paired with a win by the Colorado Rockies, knocks L.A. out of first place in the NL West.

THE BAD

–Goldschmidt’s offensive woes continue. He went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. In his last ten games, Goldschmidt is hitting .156 with 16 strikeouts.

–It was the first series win for the D-backs since their two-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on August 21-22.

STAT OF THE GAME

81 wins – With the win, the D-backs are guaranteed to finish the season with a record above .500. They currently have a streak of 321 consecutive games with a record of .500 or better.

HE SAID IT

“We played really good today. They were hitting the ball pretty hard the first couple innings, and just had a lot of good defensive plays and scored some runs and then started pitching better after that. It was just a good game all around. Not many mistakes by anyone today, so that was nice to see.” –Zack Greinke, postgame

NOTED

–The D-backs finish the season with an 11-8 record against the Dodgers and a 7-3 record at home. This is their eleventh season with a winning/tied record against L.A.

–Arizona as a team has 50 triples this season, which is the second highest total in franchise history behind the 56 triples hit by the 2016 squad.

–First pitch was at 6:40 p.m. with an open roof and 31,149 fans in attendance for the final home game at Chase Field. They finish the season with a total attendance of 2,242,695, which is up from last season’s total of 2,134,375.

UP NEXT

The D-backs will take on the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in their final series of the season. Patrick Corbin will make what could possibly be his final start in a D-backs uniform against left-handed pitcher Eric Lauer. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. with pregame coverage beginning 40 minutes earlier on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

Corbin has a 11-7 record this season with a 3.23 ERA and is 6-7 in his career against the Padres with a 4.48 ERA. In his last ten starts, he is 4-3 with a 3.17 ERA, an opponent batting average of .233, and 76 strikeouts.

Follow @Cap_Kaveman