The Diamondbacks beat the Houston Astros 12-6 at Minute Maid Park to salvage the series finale. Pavin Smith was the hero offensively, homering in his first three at-bats and drove in eight. It was a much-needed win for Arizona, who will gain a game on the New York Mets in the National League’s Wild Card race.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Diamondbacks were all over Justin Verlander, knocking out the future Hall of Famer after just three innings. Arizona tagged Verlander for eight runs on nine hits, a walk, and no strikeouts. Pavin Smith played a huge role in that, crushing home runs in back-to-back innings to make it an 8-0 game. He became the first player to hit a grand slam off Verlander since April 11, 2010.
“Justin’s one of the best pitchers of all time and getting in the box against him is a treat,” said Smith in his appearance on Sports Center following the game. “Just looking across 60 feet and seeing one of the best to ever do it is pretty cool.”
The first big blow came in the second. Jake McCarthy and Eugenio Suárez set the table with back-to-back singles. Smith jumped ahead of the count 2-0 against Verlander and crushed a 2-0 fastball that leaked over the inner third of the plate off the right field pole to take an early three-run lead.
Pavin Smith destroys a center-cut fastball from Justin Verlander and hits it high off the pole for a 3-run homer. pic.twitter.com/CfrvamEjSD
— Michael McDermott (@MichaelMcDMLB) September 8, 2024
The Diamondbacks continued to ramp up the pressure on Verlander the following inning. After loading the bases with one out, Suárez ripped a ball into left field to push the lead to four. Smith worked a 2-2 count, then drove a fastball up and out over the plate to the back row of the Crawford Boxes in left to blow it open.
Pavin Smith crushes another Justin Verlander fastball for a grand slam. Smith has 7 RBI already and it’s only the 3rd inning. pic.twitter.com/BIgXKQD8mh
— Michael McDermott (@MichaelMcDMLB) September 8, 2024
The blast made Smith the first-ever player in franchise history to record seven RBI in the first three innings of a game. He later added a solo home run off Kaleb Ort for his third of the game. He had a chance to hit his fourth homer of the game but struck out against Hector Neris with a runner on in the seventh and walked against Josh Hader in the ninth.
The early offensive support was enough for Ryne Nelson, who cruised through the first three innings. He was firing 97-99 MPH fastballs in the first three innings, putting Houston hitters on the backfoot the first time through the order. He had struck out four of the first nine hitters of the game, but the Astros had a beat on him the second time through the order.
He got clipped for a two-run home run in the fourth but was on his way to his sixth quality start. But then the wheels fell off in the fifth. A close check swing call didn’t go the Diamondbacks’ way on a two-strike count to Jose Altuve before he singled in a run, but then the inning completely unraveled on Nelson.
A walk to Yordan Alvarez loaded the bases for Kyle Tucker, who lifted a sacrifice fly to left to make it 9-4. After getting Bregman to line out to Smith in left, Nelson had a chance to escape the fifth to get a win. However, Yainer Diaz would float a ball over Luis Guillorme’s head to knock out the Diamondbacks starter. It was a much different outcome for a pitcher who had carried the rotation for the better part of two months.
Now that the Astros were back within grand slam range, Arizona needed their best relievers to step up to preserve the win. First out was Kevin Ginkel, who’s been the team’s fireman out of the bullpen. He struck out Jeremy Pena to end the fifth, qualifying for his eighth win of the season. A.J. Puk fired two scoreless innings, including an impressive seventh in which he easily retired Alvarez, Tucker, and Bregman with a runner in scoring position.
As the bullpen restored order, the Diamondbacks scored key tack-on runs to push the game out of reach. Baserunning played a role in the seventh and eighth innings. Suárez went first to third on an Adrian Del Castillo single, scoring on a Guillorme sacrifice fly. In the eighth, a two-out steal by Geraldo Perdomo came around to score on a McCarthy single.
Suárez crushed a Josh Hader fastball in the ninth for his 26th home run and 90th RBI of the season. After a night of doing all the little things right, the home run served as a reward for a player whose perseverance story for the season ought to be celebrated.
Next Game
Following an off day, the Diamondbacks will finish the second half of a home-and-home series against the Texas Rangers. The last time these two teams met at Chase Field was Game 5 of the World Series. Arizona will send right-hander Zac Gallen (11-6, 3.69 ERA) while Texas will go with Nathan Eovaldi (11-7, 3.55 ERA), both of whom started that game. First pitch will be at 6:40 P.M. MST on Tuesday.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
