Diamondbacks’ Jake McCarthy records 5 hits as offense rolls over Pirates

PHOENIX — The Diamondbacks had an answer every time the Pirates scored on Saturday night, as Arizona out-slugged Pittsburgh for a 9-5 win.

The D-backs (55-50) racked up 13 hits, five of which came from Jake McCarthy, while Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte each went yard.

The Pirates (52-52) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, and the D-backs tied the game right away. Pittsburgh scored three in the fifth to tie the game 4-4, and Arizona re-took the lead with two runs in the bottom half. The Pirates cut the deficit in half in the sixth inning, 6-5. The D-backs responded with three more runs, two off a Joc Pederson pinch-hit triple, his first three-bagger of the year.

RUN, JOC, RUN! pic.twitter.com/tJvTvHDXer

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 28, 2024

They were the Answerbacks in the most literal form, a theme of their terrific 16-6 stretch since June 29.

“We were grinding down their starting pitcher (Marco Gonzales), I thought we had a real good approach against him,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “We kept fighting back after giving up some leads. That was one of the great qualities of this team as of late, the big home run by Marte and then the five base hits by McCarthy, it was a really good game offensively.”

The D-backs chased Gonzales in the third inning.

Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt, meanwhile, did not get the benefit of a couple misplayed balls and allowed five earned runs in six innings. Lovullo felt the box score looked worse than his results, but Pfaadt credited the bats for picking him up.

McCarthy recorded the first five-hit game by a Diamondbacks player since David Peralta in 2021. All five were singles, too, an even rarer feat.

Jean Segura in 2016 was the last player in team history to record five singles in a game, and only Craig Counsell and Junior Spivey did so before him, according to Stathead.

“It is nice when they fall, and the ground balls go through and the pop-ups drop,” McCarthy said. “A hit is a hit. … I’ll take it. I’ll tell everyone all five balls were crushed.”

Carroll’s home run was his second of the season off a left-hander and fourth homer in his last eight starts. He had three before this stretch.

Marte drove in three runs on Saturday, upping his July total to 19 — tied for seventh in MLB.

KETEL STAYS HOT. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WQbSneQq0l

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 28, 2024

Eight Diamondbacks recorded at least one hit and six drove in a run on Saturday.

“Maybe when our hitting isn’t there, our pitching picks us up and vice versa,” McCarthy said. “Just seems like we’re all picking each other up, it’s timely hitting, really good bullpen appearances. I just think it is well-rounded. I think when one of us has an off night, someone picks us up. It is a sign of a good team.”

The Diamondbacks clinched a series win, their fourth straight. Arizona has yet to lose a series in July, with a win or a split in seven sets in a row.

The D-backs also improved to five games over .500 for the first time this season and a half-game back of the third wild card spot.

The postseason race has heated up with the San Diego Padres and New York Mets stringing wins together. The D-backs’ ability to hold serve through adversity over the first half of the year has put them in position to keep fighting over these next two months.

“You get on the wave and you enjoy the ride as long as you possibly can,” Lovullo said. “And sometimes, you get smashed by that wave and our mindset is how are we going to stop it today to get out of the spiral? We’ve avoided some long spirals. In years past, we’ve had a couple.

“I think that was a really key component of this ball club, the group did a nice job of keeping that ship on its course and fighting hard every single day. There’s a lot of winning players in that clubhouse, and I think that’s a catalyst for some very good results.”

Diamondbacks-Pirates series finale

The D-backs have not swept a series since facing the Cincinnati Reds from May 7-9. That is the only series they have swept this season.

Prospect Yilber Diaz will start on Sunday, while Pittsburgh runs out Mitch Keller (10-5, 3.34 ERA).

First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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