Pavin Smith hit a grand slam to power the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks past the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 Monday.
Ketel Marte hit a solo homer and an RBI single for the Diamondbacks, who took the opener of a three-game series to win for the seventh time in the past 10 games.
Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (1-2) allowed one run on five hits in six innings. He struck out three without issuing a walk. Andrew Chafin fanned two in a perfect ninth inning for his third save.
Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (1-2) yielded four runs on four hits and three walks in six-plus innings. He struck out four.
Alec Burleson hit a two-run homer for St. Louis.
The score was 1-1 before Arizona produced a five-run seventh inning. Marte started the rally with a leadoff homer.
After Lourdes Gurriel Jr. followed with a double and Christian Walker walked, Andre Pallante relieved Flaherty with disastrous results. He walked Corbin Carroll to load the bases and then served up Smith’s grand slam, a 414-foot shot to center field.
The Cardinals cut the deficit to 6-3 in the eighth inning against Jose Ruiz, who hit Tommy Edman with a pitch and allowed Burleson’s two-run homer.
Arizona took a 1-0 lead when Josh Rojas led off the game with a double and scored on Marte’s RBI single. Flaherty induced a double-play grounder from Gurriel to keep the Diamondbacks from doing more damage.
Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras hit a one-out double in the fourth inning, but Nolan Arenado lined out and Nolan Gorman grounded out to strand him.
Flaherty retired 10 consecutive batters until he walked Alek Thomas leading off the sixth inning. Contreras threw out Thomas trying to steal second base.
St. Louis’ Brendan Donovan reached on a one-out bunt single in the sixth and took second on Kelly’s balk. One out later, Donovan moved up on a wild pitch. Contreras tied the game 1-1 with a double off the right-center-field wall. He stole third base, but Arenado struck out to leave him there.
–Field Level Media
