PHOENIX -- On Wednesday morning, manager Torey Lovullo credited Jordan Lawlar taking a 98.5 mph fastball to the helmet with jump-starting the D-backs’ five-run rally that culminated with Tuesday’s walk-off win.
On Wednesday afternoon during the D-backs’ 2-0 win in the series finale against the Cubs at Chase Field, Lawlar lit the fuse again, this time with his bat.
With the game knotted in a scoreless tie leading off the bottom of the sixth, Lawlar sent a Matthew Boyd changeup the opposite way to right field for his third homer of the season and the D-backs’ second lead of the series.
That was also the D-backs’ first run of the series against Cubs starting pitching. They were blanked for seven innings by Kevin Gausman in a 7-0 loss in Monday’s opener, then got turned away with only two hits in seven scoreless innings against Clay Holmes before mounting a comeback against the bullpen on Tuesday.
Lawlar’s homer was all they managed in six innings against Boyd on Wednesday, but it was enough because D-backs left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez shut out the Cubs on two hits over seven innings, striking out nine in a much-needed gem.