Eugenio Suarez hit a grand slam and drove in five runs to help the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks defeat the Boston Red Sox 12-2 Friday night in the opener of a three-game series.
Arizona had a three-run lead until Suarez homered against Josh Winckowski to give the Diamondbacks a 9-2 advantage in the seventh inning. It was his 19th homer of the season.
Ryne Nelson (9-6) earned the win, limiting Boston to two runs on five hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked one.
The victory extended Arizona’s winning streak to four games.
Rob Refsnyder hit his ninth home run for the Red Sox, who fell to 29-33 at home this season.
Boston starter Brayan Bello (11-6) allowed five runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked four, struck out two and made a throwing error in Arizona’s three-run sixth inning.
Outfielder Tyler O’Neill was originally in Boston’s lineup Friday night but was a late scratch because of an inflamed finger on his left (non-throwing) hand. Refsnyder replaced O’Neill in left field.
Arizona took a 2-0 lead in the first. After Corbin Carroll scored when Josh Bell drew a bases-loaded walk, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. made it 2-0 when his sacrifice fly drove in Jake McCarthy.
Boston sliced its deficit in half when Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu hit back-to-back doubles in the bottom half of the first.
The Diamondbacks chased Bello from the mound by scoring three times in the sixth. Suarez drove in Gurriel to give Arizona a 3-1 lead, Luis Guillorme’s RBI double scored Adrian Del Castillo to make it 4-1 and Suarez scored on Geraldo Perdomo’s infield single to extend the lead to 5-1.
Refsnyder’s solo home run in the sixth cut Arizona’s lead to 5-2, before the Suarez grand slam gave the Diamondbacks a 9-2 advantage.
Arizona added three runs in the ninth. Perdomo had an RBI double, Guillorme scored on Carroll’s sacrifice fly and Perdomo pushed the lead to 12-2 when he scored on McCarthy’s groundout.
–Field Level Media
