This one was close for four innings, then it wasn't. The Arizona Diamondbacks turned a tied game into a rout with a seven-run fifth and a five-run sixth, burying the Oakland Athletics 15-5 at Chase Field.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 0 |
| ARI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | X | 15 | 17 | 0 |
James McCann was the biggest bat in the pileup, going 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and a walk. His two-run homer to left center in the fifth was part of the inning that broke the game apart, and he added an RBI single in the sixth as Arizona sent hitters through the order over and over. McCann's home run was his 100th career, a milestone he reached in this game. He is batting .257 with 3 home runs and 14 RBIs this season.
The floodgates opened in the fifth. Jeff McNeil had tied it at 2-2 with a home run to right in the top of the frame, but Arizona answered immediately. Marte scored on a wild pitch by Jump to put the Diamondbacks back in front for good, and the inning kept rolling: Moreno homered to center, Vargas doubled home Arenado, McCann's two-run shot brought in Vargas, and Waldschmidt capped it with a two-run homer of his own to score Tawa. By the time the inning ended, Arizona led 9-2. The sixth inning was more of the same, with Carroll scoring on a wild pitch, McCann singling home Moreno, Tawa doubling in two more, and Waldschmidt adding a sacrifice fly, pushing the score to 14-2.
Oakland starter Gage Jump lasted 4.2 innings, allowing 6 runs on 8 hits with 4 walks and 5 strikeouts, and the bullpen fared worse, with three relievers combining for 9 runs over 3.1 innings. The Athletics did not go quietly, plating single runs in the third and seventh and adding two more in the ninth on a Butler RBI single and a Williams sacrifice fly, but the deficit was already too large. Jacob Wilson went 1-for-4 for Oakland, and Tyler Soderstrom drove in a run with a groundout in the third that had briefly given the Athletics an early lead.
Merrill Kelly earned the win for Arizona, working 5.0 innings and allowing 2 runs on 5 hits with 3 strikeouts, improving to 8-8 with a 5.12 ERA. Corbin Carroll also went deep and finished 2-for-4 with a triple, sitting three home runs shy of 100 for his career. Ketel Marte added two hits, including a double, as he continues to close in on 300 for his career. The win extended Arizona's winning streak to two games, improving the Diamondbacks to 53-49, while Oakland fell to 43-59 with its second straight loss.