D-Backs complete sweep of Red Sox for 6th straight win
BOSTON (AP) — Eugenio Suárez hit a go-ahead three-run homer over the Green Monster, and the charging Arizona Diamondbacks rallied past the Boston Red Sox 7-5 on Sunday for their sixth straight victory, completing a three-game sweep.
Holding the NL’s top wild-card spot, the Diamondbacks (75-56) reached a season-high 19 games over .500 by winning for the 34th time in 47 games. Geraldo Perdomo hooked a solo homer around the Pesky Pole, estimated at just 319 feet.
Suárez, who went 4 for 4, had a key two-run double off the Monster on Saturday and grand slam over it in Friday’s series opener. He finished with 10 RBIs in the series.
“That’s a really, really productive three days no matter where you’re at,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said of Suárez. ”Sometimes you come to this ballpark and hitters get a little pull conscious, a little pull happy. ... It’s probably one of the best I’ve seen over a three-game stretch (here) and I’ve seen some really good players play in this ballpark.”
Rafael Devers, 27, hit his 200th career homer, a three-run shot, to become the 11th and youngest player in Red Sox history to reach that mark.
Triston Casas and Tyler O’Neill added solo shots for Boston, which fell to 29-35 in games at Fenway Park.
It was the Diamondbacks’ second sweep in Fenway, the first came in the club’s initial trip to Boston in June 2002.
Arizona’s Corbin Carroll had a single in four at-bats, reaching safely for the 34th straight start.
Suárez hit a first-pitch sweeper down the middle from Tanner Houck (8-9) that caromed off a light stanchion above the Monster and onto the field.
“For some reason I always have good series here,” Suárez said. “I see the ball good. I don’t know what’s different.”
Boston manager Alex Cora certainly noticed what Suárez did.
“Suárez, he was a monster the whole weekend,” Cora said.
Arizona’s Merrill Kelly (4-0) grinded through six innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, striking out five and walking three. Justin Martinez got the final three outs for his sixth save despite allowing O’Neill’s homer.
Boston has lost Houck’s last seven starts. He gave up six runs in six innings.
“The command got worse,” he said. “Early on, I felt like I was pounding the zone, going right after guys. A little bit later on, was just off the (strikezone), out of the zone too much with everything.”
Trailing 4-0, the Diamondbacks — MLB’s highest-scoring team entering at 5.34 runs per game — scored three times on just two hits with a pair of walks against Houck in the fifth. Carroll had a sacrifice fly and Jake McCarthy an RBI single after Perdomo’s run-scoring ground out.
Devers sent a sinker from Kelly into the center-field batters’ eye, his 28th of the season, giving Boston a 4-0 edge in the fourth.
Casas hit a drive estimated at 410 feet over Boston’s bullpen in the first.
Each team turned three double plays, with both converting two 4-6-3.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: RHP Liam Hendriks got two outs, striking out two and giving up an unearned run in a rehab appearance for Double-A Portland on Sunday, his third in his recovery from Tommy John surgery.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks: After an off day, LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0, 3.94 ERA) is slated to start the opener of a three-game series against the Mets on Tuesday. LHP Sean Manaea (9-5, 3.48) is set for New York.
Red Sox: RHP Nick Pivetta (5-8, 4.70) is set to go Monday in the first of two games at Fenway, finishing a suspended contest halted by rain with the Blue Jays at bat in the second inning on June 26.
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