Eugenio Suarez hits 2 homers, Diamondbacks tie club record for extra-base hits vs. Rangers

Sep 11, 2024, 3:38 PM | Updated: 5:57 pm

(Jeremy Schnell/Arizona Sports)

Diamondbacks reporter, ArizonaSports.com editor

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks tied a franchise record with 13 extra-base hits in a 14-4 win to sweep the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.

Both Ketel Marte and Eugenio Suarez came up one triple short of the cycle, as Suarez hit two home runs to left field to rack up his season total to 28.

“To have that triple here, I gotta hit it to the middle of the field, and the center fielder has got to die,” Suarez joked. “It’s something I’ve been dreaming about for a long time. I really do want to hit a cycle in my career, and I was thinking about that during my at-bat. But even better, I hit a homer and I’ll take that 100%.”

Diamondbacks’ Eugenio Suárez would’ve loved to hit for the cycle today… but two home runs? That’ll do. pic.twitter.com/LpLAl2AXOC

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 11, 2024

Randal Grichuk and Adrian Del Castillo added home runs to the tally, while Corbin Carroll smacked a triple and one of Arizona’s seven doubles. Grichuk hit his 200th career home run, while Carroll roped his 13th triple of the season. Tony Womack owns the franchise record with 14 triples in 2000.

The last time Arizona collected double-digit extra-base hits in a game was back in 2020, and Wednesday was only the second instance in club history the D-backs piled on 13 (2014 against the Los Angeles Dodgers). The Diamondbacks finished Wednesday’s game with 16 hits total and have scored 32 runs over the past three games, all victories.

The D-backs lead MLB in scoring with 802 runs over 146 games (5.5 on average). The New York Yankees entered Wednesday second with 730.

“When you’re talking about leading the league in runs, there’s a lot that goes into that,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “I believed in our hitters. I believed in our ability to execute the plans each and every day. But at the pace in which we’re doing it, especially, I think it’s probably been middle of June on … I love that consistency. I think we are that type of team.

“It’s not just the slug we saw today. It’s patient at-bats, waiting for our pitch, putting down the bat, handing it off to the next guy. … I feel like something special is happening here from an offensive standpoint.”

Carroll’s triple gave Arizona a 1-0 lead in the first inning off Rangers starter Cody Bradford, and Grichuk followed with a two-run shot. Suarez’s first homer extended the lead to 4-0 in the second inning, and Marte broke the game open with a three-run round-tripper for an 8-2 lead in the fourth.

Del Castillo’s three-run homer in the fifth proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back after Texas scratched across two runs, as Arizona took an 11-4 lead on the rookie’s fourth career dinger.

Suarez capped the five-homer day with another solo shot in the seventh.

“Everybody can do something, and you feel good about it,” Suarez said. “We came here to play hard and help the pitchers win games, and the offense has been there. We just gotta keep going. We just got to continue to play like that.”

The veteran third baseman has four home runs in his last four games, and he leads MLB with 22 long balls and 60 RBIs since July 1.

Suarez is batting an astounding .500 in the month of September (19-for-38). He has been a constant source of offense from the middle or bottom-third of the lineup for more than two months after having a hard time getting going in the first half.

“I think this is the best stretch that I’ve had in my career,” Suarez said.

The Diamondbacks only received four innings out of starter Merrill Kelly, who walked off the mound with the athletic trainer in the fifth frame due to right hamstring cramping, but the offense helped limit the impact of his absence. Jordan Montgomery threw three scoreless innings to end the game and earn his first save, as well.

Kelly is not expected to miss his next start, and after the game he broke down how pitching for the game’s top-scoring offense gives him an advantage.

“As a pitcher, it gives you a lot more confidence to be up there and attack, because even if you give up a couple runs, these guys are going to score no matter what. … you have a lot more confidence to fill up the zone,” Kelly said.