Christian Walker hit a go-ahead 3-run triple in the 5th inning, and the Diamondbacks never looked back as they cruised to a dominating 15-4 win over the White Sox.
Walker had two other home runs combined with that triple to total six RBIs in the game. With this win gets the Diamondbacks to 83-74. With the Chicago Cubs blowing a big lead against the Atlanta, the D’backs now have a 1-game lead on the Wild Card race.
Christian Walker's big night gives the @DBacks some breathing room for the 2nd NL Wild Card spot. pic.twitter.com/RB5eePgKTx
— MLB (@MLB) September 27, 2023
It didn’t look great for the Diamondbacks early, as Zach Davies had difficulty getting outs. He allowed a 3-run homer to Eloy Jimenez before stranding two batters in the bottom of the first. He then allowed three hits in the bottom of the second, including a Jimenez RBI single. This gave the Whtie Sox a 4-1 lead. Davies would only last another inning before being removed after only three frames.
The floodgates opened for the D’backs in the top of the 5th. With the White Sox leading 4-3, The D’backs drew two walks and a single to load the bases. Yohan Ramirez replaced Jose Urena, with Christian Walker due up. Not long after, Walker hit that bases-clearing triple, and Alek Thomas singled him in. After a sacrifice fly, Ramirez finally got Geraldo Perdomo to ground out. The Diamondbacks now led 9-4.
Christian Walker wouldn’t be done there, however. With Ketel Marte taking a walk, Walker would come up to bat. He hit his second home run to give the Diamondbacks an 11-4 lead. This was his fourth multi-homer game of the season. The D’backs would score another off a Marte homer. They then added three in the top of the 9th with a Geraldo Perdomo 2-run triple.
Walker, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Marte all had multi-hit nights, and Ryne Nelson, who pitched 4.2 1-hit innings, got the win.
