Grit Index: Montero comes through late, D-backs win fifth in a row
May 11, 2013, 5:05 AM | Updated: 5:51 am
Two players who have struggled the most recently came up with the two biggest hits of the night as the Diamondbacks beat the Phillies, 3-2, to extend their winning streak to a season-best five straight games.
Miguel Montero, batting eighth for the first time all season, hit a go-ahead home run on the first pitch he saw from Antonio Bastardo in the eighth, lining the ball off the right field foul pole.
An inning earlier, Martin Prado hit a two-out single to tie the game at two.
With Heath Bell having pitched each of the last three days, David Hernandez was called upon to nail down the save, his first of the season.
Starter Ian Kennedy struggled out of the gate, allowing two runs on four hits including a leadoff home run to Jimmy Rollins in the 1st. Kennedy though settled down to throw what manager Kirk Gibson called his best game of the year, matching a season-high with seven innings pitched.
The Diamondbacks (21-15) are six games over .500 for the first time since the end of 2011.
The Good:
Gerardo Parra recorded his fifth outfield assist of the season, gunning down Chase Utley trying to stretch a double into a triple in the first inning.
The Bad:
Paul Goldschmidt, in addition to running through a Matt Williams “STOP” sign in the 1st, saw his 63-game errorless streak come to end as he was unable to field ground ball in the ninth.
Stat of the Game:
Prado had been hitless in his last 29 chances with runners in scoring position before his game-tying single in the seventh. He is now 2-for-32 (.062) with runners in scoring position on the season.
Noted:
• Montero, 8-for-43 in his last 12 games, started eighth in the lineup for the first time since May 12, 2011 at the Giants.
• Will Harris made his Diamondbacks debut, striking out the lone batter he faced, Michael Young, in the eighth.
He Said It:
“It feels great to help the team,” Montero said about his go-ahead home run. “I’ve been probably disappointment in myself not being able to hit the ball the way I want it or get the production that I was expecting to. I know it’s early, but I’ve had so many opportunities and I haven’t get it done. It just stinks.”
Up Next:
The Diamondbacks will send right-hander Trevor Cahill (2-3, 2.80) to the mound in game three of the four-game series against the Phillies. Cahill is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA (four earned runs in 20 innings pitched) in his last three starts. Philadelphia counters with Cliff Lee (2-3, 3.26) for a game that starts at 5:10 on Saturday, May 11.
