D-backs use native son to burn Mariners
SEATTLE -- Jake Lamb, a Seattle native playing his first Major League game back in his hometown, hit the game-winning sacrifice fly in the 10th as the D-backs knocked off the Mariners, 4-3, in Monday night's opener of a three-game Interleague series at Safeco Field.
Lamb drove in Paul Goldschmidt with a fly ball to center off former D-backs reliever Vidal Nuno, who came into a one-out, bases-loaded situation after Seattle closer Carson Smith walked two and hit a batter.
"That was cool it worked out like that," Lamb said. "It was just a big win, and having everyone here was really special. I'm really happy."
Robbie Ray threw seven innings of two-run ball and Goldschmidt and Welington Castillo hit solo home runs for the D-backs, who took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth before Mariners catcher Mike Zunino tied the game with a two-out RBI single off reliever Oliver Perez.
The rookie Ray (3-5, 2.70 ERA) allowed six hits and equaled his season high with eight strikeouts, but wound up with a no-decision. Mike Montgomery (4-4, 3.20) gave up three runs (two earned) and four hits in the first two frames for Seattle, but only allowed one more hit in the rest of his 6 2/3 innings.
• Seattle native Lamb is a homecoming hero
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Early exits: The D-backs entered the game with only the 19th highest team home run total in the Major Leagues, but they used the long ball to gain an early advantage. Goldschmidt launched his 22nd home run of the season with two outs in the first, and the former Mariner Castillo marked his return to Safeco Field with a 429-foot shot to center an inning later to give the D-backs a 2-0 lead.
Video: ARI@SEA: Goldschmidt opens scoring with solo homer
Trumbo tuning up: Mark Trumbo, acquired from Arizona on June 3, continued turning around his slow start in Seattle with a 3-for-4 night with two doubles. Trumbo doubled off the right-field wall leading off the fifth and scored on Logan Morrison's single to center for the Mariners' first run. After hitting .139 in his first 22 games, Trumbo is batting .339 (21-for-62) over his last 19, with four doubles and two home runs.
"He's swinging a good bat for us," said Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon. "I've said all along, we need him to be productive and be the type of hitter that he can be. That will help jump-start things and obviously make our lineup a lot deeper."
Video: ARI@SEA: LoMo gets Mariners on the board with RBI hit
Cano continues cranking: Robinson Cano continued his midseason surge for the Mariners with his seventh July home run, a solo shot in the sixth to cut the D-backs' lead to 3-2. After hitting two home runs in his first 67 games, Cano has launched nine in 30 games since June 22. He went 2-for-3 with two walks on Monday and is batting .347 (33-for-95) with 18 RBIs in 23 games this month to hike his season average to .265.
Video: ARI@SEA: Cano belts solo shot to right field
Ray's day: Ray became the first D-backs pitcher to allow a run in the last three games but kept his opponent under three runs for the third time in four starts. The 23-year-old lefty held the Mariners scoreless over his first four innings to extend the pitching staff's scoreless streak to a season-high 22 innings before back-to-back hits put Seattle on the board in the fifth. Ray struck out the last two hitters he faced to finish with eight, tying a season high.
"Everything was working," Ray said. "The fastball, I was able to locate it tonight, and my slider was able to come around and work for me. I was able to throw it in some big counts."
Video: ARI@SEA: Ray fans eight over seven innings
QUOTABLE
"I think they'd still like me if I didn't come through. I'd like to think so, at least." --Lamb, on the family and friends who came to watch him
"We've got to get him a couple days off here. We're spinning our wheels with him. You could see he was flying open, trying to find something. He just didn't have it." -- McClendon, after his closer Smith took his second loss in the past three days
WHAT'S NEXT
D-backs: Zack Godley (1-0, 0.00 ERA) makes his second Major League start as this series continues on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. PT at Safeco Field. In his first career start on Thursday, Godley threw six scoreless innings, striking out seven without allowing a walk, tying him with Max Scherzer for the most strikeouts by a D-backs pitcher in a Major League debut.
Mariners: Hisashi Iwakuma (2-1, 4.50) starts for Seattle and looks to continue his recent run of success. Iwakuma is 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA over his last three outings after an injury-plagued start to his season and 11 weeks on the disabled list. This will be his first career start against the D-backs.
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