The game was effectively over by the third inning. Arizona scored two runs in the first, four more in the third, and never let San Diego breathe, rolling to an 8-0 victory at Petco Park on Monday. The Diamondbacks needed only to protect a lead that grew too large, too fast.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 0 |
| SD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
Brandon Pfaadt was the architect on the mound. He worked five innings, allowing four hits, walking none, and striking out six on 72 pitches. He did not allow a run. The Arizona bullpen covered the final four innings without surrendering a run, completing a combined shutout. Pfaadt picked up his second win of the season against one loss, carrying a 4.84 ERA. In this game, he also crossed 500 career innings pitched.
Max Kepler supplied the decisive blow. In the third inning, after Carroll scored on a single by Lourdes Gurriel, Kepler homered to right — 417 feet — with Moreno and Gurriel Jr. aboard, turning a 2-0 game into a 6-0 lead. He finished 2-for-4 with four RBI. Gerardo Perdomo added a solo home run to right in the fourth, and Nolan Arenado hit a solo shot to left in the sixth. The trouble had started in the first, when Marte scored on a pickoff error by pitcher Buehler, and Perdomo later scored on an error during Kepler's single.
Walker Buehler absorbed the damage for San Diego. He lasted five innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and a walk on 93 pitches. His ERA stands at 5.07. The Padres managed eight hits on the night but could not convert any into runs against Pfaadt and the Arizona relievers.
Arizona moved to 45-45 with the win. Nolan Arenado, who went 1-for-4 with his 10th home run of the season, is 10 hits away from 2,000 career hits. San Diego fell to 44-46.