Sedona Red Recap: Lamb homers again as D-backs earn first home series win of 2016
May 17, 2016, 11:08 PM
Arizona Diamondbacks' Jake Lamb connects for a two-run home run against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 17, 2016, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been looking for some positive results to build from at home for a while now.
The series against the New York Yankees was certainly a step in the right direction.
One night after erupting for a dozen runs against the team in pinstripes, the Diamondbacks edged the Yankees 5-3 on Tuesday. Zack Greinke delivered seven strong innings, Jake Lamb homered for the second consecutive evening and seven different Arizona players picked up hits as Chip Hale’s squad secured a series win in front of 30,913 fans at Chase Field.
The series win is the team’s first at home this season and first ever regular season series win against the Yankees. The D-backs will go for the sweep on Wednesday.
Greinke struck out seven while yielding just five hits and three runs over seven innings. And while that may not be classified as dominant — particularly when stacked up against some of his performances from last season — it was another decent start from the 32-year old righty.
That’s becoming a trend for Greinke as Arizona goes deeper into the season. And it’s making the disappointing opener against the Rockies — and the rough showing on April 25 against the Cardinals — seem more and more like outliers.
With the win, the D-backs have now won two straight at Chase Field and are now 19-23 overall.
THE GOOD
– Jean Segura continued his absurd run of impressive hitting, picking up two more singles. He now has 58 hits on the year.
– Speaking of hits, Nick Ahmed delivered two more, bringing his total to four in the last two games. it was his first back-to-back multi-hit games since he did it in three straight contests to begin the season.
– Arizona was aggressive on the basepaths in this one, piling up three steals. Ahmed also forced the issue in the sixth, moving from first to third on a passed ball.
THE BAD
– After leading off the bottom of the first inning with a single, Segura got caught leaning too far toward second base and was picked off.
– As a team, the D-backs struck out 13 times tonight.
STAT OF THE GAME
36: That’s the number of consecutive saves recorded by Arizona closer Brad Ziegler. Not only is he extending the club record, he’s climbing into the ranks of baseball’s all-time streaks. With the save, he’s tied with Joakim Soria (2010) and Mariano Rivera (2009) for the 16th-longest such streak in MLB history.
HE SAID IT
“All the great players, they can make adjustments between at-bats. And I think I’m trying to minimize time, you know? Whether it’s a couple days, bring it down to a day … then a few ABs. So it’s something you’re always working on.” – Jake Lamb after homering for the second straight night
NOTED
-Arizona is 140-157 all-time in Interleague Play.
UP NEXT
The Diamondbacks will send Shelby Miller to the mound as they look for the sweep on Wednesday night. New York will counter with Nathan Eovaldi. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. MST, with pregame coverage beginning at 6 p.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.
Miller (1-4) is still sporting a robust 6.94 ERA, but he’s been making progress. He picked up his first win of the season two starts ago in Atlanta and is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA over his last two outings. In his most recent start, he gave up three earned runs over 5.2 innings against the Giants on May 13.
Miller has only faced the Yankees once in his career, allowing seven runs over 5.0 innings when he was pitching for St. Louis back in 2014.
Eovaldi (3-2) has won his last three decisions after beginning the 2016 campaign 0-2. The 26-year old righty went 5.0 innings while surrendering three runs in a 7-3 victory over the Royals in his last outing on May 12. In seven career appearances against Arizona, he’s 2-0 with a 3.08 ERA and 1.03 WHIP.
