Lars Nootbaar wasted no time setting the tone, jumping on the first pitch of the game for a home run as the Arizona Diamondbacks kept piling on Friday night in San Francisco.
Corbin Carroll and Tim Tawa added their own power in a five-run third inning, and Arizona rode that surge to a 10-6 win over the Giants. Nootbaar finished with three hits, while the Diamondbacks also got a timely late burst that put the game out of reach.
Arizona entered the night with extra motivation after a San Diego Padres loss and moved within a half-game of the National League’s third and final wild-card spot. The Diamondbacks also continued to have the Giants’ number, handing San Francisco its ninth loss in 11 meetings between the teams this season.
The early damage came in waves. Nootbaar’s fifth homer of the year opened the scoring, Carroll added his 19th, and Tawa followed with his ninth. That trio helped Arizona answer a Giants offense that scored in each of the first four innings.
The Diamondbacks still had work to do after San Francisco kept it close early, carrying a 6-5 lead into the sixth. Then Arizona broke it open with three runs in the inning, highlighted by Ildemaro Vargas’ two-RBI single and Carroll’s sacrifice fly, which brought in his third run batted in of the night.
Tawa’s three-run homer was especially loud because of the moment around it. It came two pitches after Giants manager Tony Vitello was ejected for disputing Nolan Arenado’s grounder over third base being ruled fair.
Arenado’s double had put runners on second and third in what was then a 3-2 game. Vitello was ejected for the second time in three days, and Giants ace Logan Webb, who was watching from the dugout, also was ejected.
Arizona’s bullpen then closed the door. Gerardo Carrillo, Jonathan Loaisiga, Brandyn Garcia, Dennis Santana and Juan Morillo combined for five innings and allowed just one unearned run and one hit. Carrillo, who worked a scoreless fifth to protect a one-run lead, earned the win and moved to 3-1.
Left-hander Kohl Drake, brought up from the minors earlier in the day, lasted four innings for Arizona. He gave up five runs on four hits, walking one and striking out four.
Giants starter Blade Tidwell took the loss after allowing six runs on seven hits over five innings. He struck out four and walked one.
Arizona also got two-hit nights from Tawa, Arenado and James McCann. On the Giants’ side, Bryce Eldridge and Christian Koss each went deep, with Koss hitting his first homer of the season and Eldridge his 15th. Eldridge finished with two hits, while Jung Hoo Lee scored twice.
The Giants had won three of four to start their seven-game homestand, but Arizona’s bats and bullpen made sure that momentum didn’t last long.
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