The suddenly hot Arizona Diamondbacks look to stretch their season-high winning streak to six games when they conclude a three-game series against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night in Phoenix.
Arizona has also won seven straight home games against Philadelphia and scored 22 unanswered runs during parts of the first two games of the series.
The Diamondbacks fell behind 7-0 on Monday before rallying for a 13-7 victory and scored the first nine runs Tuesday en route to a 12-3 victory.
Arizona is hot at the plate, with 45 runs during the five-game winning streak. The Diamondbacks had a season-best 17 hits on Tuesday.
Jake McCarthy homered, tripled and drove in a career-best five runs, and he’s batting .310 in August.
“It’s just try to get good pitches to hit and put good swings on them,” McCarthy said afterward. “I’m just trying to put together good at-bats.”
Corbin Carroll had three RBIs in his second big league game for the Diamondbacks. Alek Thomas had a career-high four hits, and Daulton Varsho and Christian Walker had three apiece for Arizona.
Hours before Tuesday’s game, the Diamondbacks announced they picked up the 2023 option on manager Torey Lovullo’s contract. Lovullo has a 398-438 record in six seasons with Arizona. He has more wins than any manager in franchise history.
“That’s awesome, I was pretty excited to see that,” Diamondbacks infielder Josh Rojas said of the news. “That’s pretty big that they picked it up. I’m excited to have him back. He makes it really comfortable for you to come to him and ask questions.”
Philadelphia is looking for answers after losing three straight games by a cumulative 30-10.
Philadelphia currently possesses the second wild card in the National League but is just two games clear of the Milwaukee Brewers, the fourth team in the race for the three spots.
Brandon Marsh hit a three-run homer for the Philadelphia runs on Tuesday. It was his ninth homer of the season and first for the Phillies since being acquired from the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline.
Interim Phillies manager Rob Thomson tried to downplay the team’s issues after Tuesday’s drubbing.
“You hate to lose any game, but it’s just one game,” Thomson said. “But we’ve got to bounce back (Wednesday). Take the same approach, come in prepared, compete, go get them. Get a good one out of (Bailey) Falter. He’s been throwing well.”
Falter will start for the Phillies on Wednesday in a battle of left-handers. Tommy Henry starts for the Diamondbacks.
Falter (2-3, 4.41) has struggled to keep the ball in the park, serving up 12 homers in just 51 innings.
Falter, 25, has won his past two starts, pitching six innings each time. He gave up one run and two hits over six innings against the New York Mets on Aug. 20 and followed up by allowing three runs and five hits versus the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.
Falter made two relief appearances against Arizona last season and posted a 7.71 ERA. Carson Kelly smacked a homer off him last season.
Henry (3-2, 3.25 ERA) has allowed one run in three of his first five major league starts. However, the 25-year-old has lasted more than 5 1/3 innings just once.
Henry won his last outing on Friday when he went five innings against the Chicago White Sox and gave up one run and four hits.
Philadelphia’s Nick Castellanos (turf toe) has missed the first two games of the series. He maintains the injury isn’t serious.
–Field Level Media