Alex Young leads D-backs to win in Texas homecoming
Jul 16, 2019, 9:12 PM
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Alex Young (49) delivers against the Texas Rangers in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, July 16, 2019 in Arlington, TX. (AP Photo/ Richard W. Rodriguez)
(AP Photo/ Richard W. Rodriguez)
Arizona Diamondbacks starter Alex Young was dealing in Tuesday night’s 9-2 win over the Texas Rangers.
Young allowed only one run on three hits and one walk while striking out four over 5.1 innings.
His lone run given up came in the bottom of the fourth on a Joey Gallo home run to center.
The 25-year-old allowed his first hit of the ballgame in the bottom of the second inning, bringing his hitless-innings streak to a close at 9.1, the fifth-longest in D-backs single-season history.
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It was a homecoming of sorts for the left-hander, as Young, who lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the offseason, elected to attend Texas Christian University after being drafted by the Rangers in the 32nd round of the 2012 MLB Draft.
Following his junior year, the D-backs selected the 25-year-old in the second round in 2015.
In four career outings, the rookie is 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA, 13 strikeouts and a 0.44 WHIP over 18.2 innings pitched. Young has only allowed eight baserunners on six hits and two walks since making his Major League debut on June 27 against the Giants in San Francisco.
Eduardo Escobar, who was named the D-backs’ 2019 Heart and Hustle Award winner before Tuesday night’s game, got the scoring started in the top of the first with an RBI single to left that brought home Jarrod Dyson to give Arizona an early 1-0 lead.
Following Gallo’s home run in the fourth that tied the ballgame at 1-1, All-Star Ketel Marte broke the deadlock with a two-RBI single to left that gave the D-backs a 3-1 lead.
What more can you say about Ketel Marte this year?!?!
His clutch hit gives the @Dbacks a 3-1 lead in the 5th. pic.twitter.com/UXMSnR3jkS
— FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) July 17, 2019
In the top of the sixth, birthday boy Ildemaro Vargas, who turned 28 on Tuesday, doubled the D-backs’ advantage at 5-1 with a big-fly to center field, his fifth on the year.
.@ildemaro_tigre just went beast mode to make it 5-1! pic.twitter.com/6EjwjtxiRU
— FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) July 17, 2019
D-backs reliever Yoshihisa Hirano loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the eighth after allowing a hit and walking two, forcing manager Torey Lovullo to bring on Yoan Lopez.
Lopez was able to get out of the jam on a Hunter Pence line-out to Jake Lamb that led to a double play, minimizing the damage to only one run on a sac-fly and preserving Arizona’s lead at 5-2.
The D-backs would tack on a few insurance runs in the ninth on a couple of Texas errors, allowing T.J. McFarland to finish the 9-2 victory.
Arizona will look to finish the two-game series with a sweep Wednesday night.
D-backs’ Robbie Ray (7-6) is scheduled to face off against Rangers right-hander Jesse Chavez (3-4). Ray allowed just one run on two hits while striking out eight and walking two in 6.1 innings pitched his last time out.
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