Goldy's three RBIs lead D-backs over Cubs
PHOENIX -- The Cubs will be happy to not see Paul Goldschmidt again until early September.
The D-backs first baseman hit an RBI single and a two-run home run Sunday to back Jeremy Hellickson and lead the D-backs to a 4-3 victory over the Cubs at Chase Field and take the series. Goldschmidt, now a career .383 batter against the Cubs, went 5-for-10 with two home runs in the three-game set.
"I was just looking for something I could hit hard," Goldschmidt said of his homer off Cubs starter Jason Hammel. "Fortunately, he made a mistake over the middle of the plate and I was able to get it out of there."
Hellickson gave up three runs on four hits -- including two home runs -- over 6 2/3 innings. It was Hellickson's first career start against the Cubs, but Chicago manager Joe Maddon knew the right-hander well from their days together in Tampa. This was Hellickson's first win in his last six starts.
"We hit a lot of ground balls today," Maddon said of Hellickson. "He might have gotten eight groundball outs, which is high. He's more of a fly-ball pitcher. He put the ball on the ground more against us than anticipated."
The Cubs' Miguel Montero hit a solo home run against his former team, while Chris Coghlan added a two-run shot in the fifth and then robbed Ender Inciarte of an extra-base hit with a nice running catch in the bottom of the inning.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Good as Gold-y: Goldschmidt put the D-backs ahead, 4-1, with two outs in the third with a two-run homer to center off of a 1-1 pitch from Jason Hammel. It was Goldschmidt's seventh home run in May and a team-high 12th of the season. The first baseman also drove in the D-backs' first run with an RBI single in the first. More >
Video: CHC@ARI: D-backs strike first on Goldschmidt's single
Welcome home: Montero enjoyed the weekend in Arizona because he was able to stay at his home, which he built during his playing days with the D-backs. Montero ranks among Arizona's all-time leaders in games, RBIs and home runs, and he celebrated his return in the second inning, hitting his fifth home run of the season and 39th of his career at Chase Field. The homer was Montero's second hit in 20 at-bats over his last six games.
"There's no hard feelings," Montero said of the D-backs, who traded him to Chicago for two Minor League pitchers. "It was good to get the tie right there. [The home run] definitely was a good feeling."
Video: CHC@ARU: Montero evens score with solo home run
Doing it all: D-backs shortstop Nick Ahmed extended his career-best hitting streak to nine games with a leadoff triple in the third. It was Ahmed's first career three-base hit. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Hellickson. Ahmed shined defensively as well, turning a nice inning-ending double play in the sixth and making a nifty off-balance throw to retire Jorge Soler in the seventh.
"He changed the game defensively," D-backs manager Chip Hale said. "The stuff he does is just mind-boggling every day and that's why, when he made a couple errors in [Philadelphia], we didn't know what was going on, we had to get him checked by the doctors."
Video: CHC@ARI: Ahmed leads off 3rd with first career triple
QUOTABLE
"They're two of the best first basemen in the National League and maybe all of baseball. It's fun to watch. It's not fun to watch Goldy take me out. Both of those guys are tough outs and they'll be tough outs for years to come." -- Hammel on Goldschmidt and the Cubs' Anthony Rizzo
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Cubs rookie Kris Bryant went 0-for-4 to end his hitting streak at 12 games. He matched teammate Addison Russell, who also had a 12-game hit streak this season. Theirs are the longest hitting streaks by a Cubs rookie since Jerome Walton's 30-game stretch in 1989.
WHAT'S NEXT
Cubs: The Cubs return to Wrigley Field on Monday to start a six-game homestand against the Nationals. Tsuyoshi Wada gets the start. In his first outing, the lefty struck out a career-high nine batters and gave up two runs over 4 2/3 innings against the Padres. First pitch will be 1:20 p.m. CT.
D-backs: The D-backs open a six-game road trip with a three-game series against the Cardinals, beginning on Monday at 1:15 p.m. MT. Chase Anderson gets the start looking for a second straight win after going a career-high eight innings and allowing just one run on four hits in his last start against the Marlins.
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