D-backs ride Weeks' HR to victory

July 5th, 2016

PHOENIX -- Most games as of late haven't been going the D-backs' way -- especially at Chase Field. But this time, after blowing an early lead, they responded, held on, and added some breathing room late.
Arizona notched a 7-5 victory over the visiting Padres on Tuesday night, winning for just the second time in their last 10 games and improving to 15-31 at home, in front of a crowd of 14,110 -- the smallest at Chase Field since the ballpark opened in 1998. All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt drove in the go-ahead run in the fifth inning with an RBI sacrifice fly after Jean Segura led off the inning with a triple.

"We need all the wins we can get right now," D-backs left fielder Rickie Weeks Jr. said. "For us to do it like we did tonight, it's great. The pitching came out and shut the door when we did score runs, and that's what you ask for. All in all, great game today, offensively, defensively, pitching, that's how you want to win games."
Goldschmidt also drove in the D-backs' first run with an RBI single, then scored on a three-run homer by Weeks that put some early pressure on Padres starter Christian Friedrich. The left-hander took the loss, allowing at least four runs for the fourth consecutive start, after he had surrendered just eight in his first six starts combined.
"It feels like everything's under my control," Friedrich said. "It doesn't feel like the game's getting out of hand. … It's just a tough go right now, I'd say. The crooked numbers are just hard to get rid of right now."
Newly minted All-Star first baseman Wil Myers provided the thump for the Padres, tying a career high with four hits. Ryan Schimpf added a solo homer in the ninth -- his second of the season, and the first allowed by Arizona closer Brad Ziegler.
D-backs starter Zack Godley (2-0) earned the win despite allowing four earned runs in five innings. He has won both his starts in the Majors this season. Arizona also had strong contributions from the top of the order, as Segura and Michael Bourn each collected three hits.
Godley, who was making a spot start for injured ace Zack Greinke, was optioned to Triple-A Reno after the game. Arizona manager Chip Hale said the club will recall left-handed reliever Zac Curtis on Wednesday as a corresponding move.
"We got the win, that's all that matters," Godley said. "I left some pitches up and the ones I did, they hit. It is what it is, it's the way the game goes, and all you can do is come back out and get them next time."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Playing the matchup: Weeks started in left field against Friedrich, who he has had previous success against. In the third, the D-backs' veteran outfielder put his team ahead, 4-2, with a three-run homer, his longest of the season. The blast went 451 feet to straightaway center with an exit velocity of 108 mph, projected by Statcast™, the third-longest hit by an Arizona player this season. Weeks is now 5-for-12 with two homers and five RBIs against Friedrich.
"I just want to get something that's up in the zone," Weeks said. "Obviously I got that and I was able to do some damage."
Myers, for three: In the top of the third-inning, Myers laced a rocket into the left-center field gap and hustled into third for an RBI triple. It marked just the third three-bagger of Myers' career, and he'd later score on Yangervis Solarte's single, which put the Padres on top, 2-0. All three of Myers' career four-hit games have come at Chase FIeld.
"You see the ball really well here," Myers said. "The hitter's eye is great. It's really dark, and you just see pitches really well."

Three more for Lamb: Even when Jake Lamb doesn't start, he finds ways to contribute. The D-backs third baseman, one of five players on the ballot for the Esurance All-Star Game Final Vote for the All-Star Game presented by MasterCard, pinch-hit for the pitcher's spot in the seventh. He hit his NL-best seventh triple of the season to deep right, then scored on a single by Segura.
Cast your Esurance Final Vote for Lamb
"I'm thinking, 'He's going to hit an extra-base hit, there's no doubt about it,'" Hale said. "He's just a machine right now."

Schimpf's shot: Schimpf's second career homer was yet another rocket -- this one to the opposite field. The ball left Schimpf's bat at 107 mph, which was largely the product of his violent-yet-controlled cut. Padres skipper Andy Green said he expects to see plenty more hard contact to come from his rookie second baseman.
"That's a heck of a swing off Brad Ziegler," Green said. "Not a lot of guys have swings like that off of him. He's hit the ball hard, he takes his walks. The numbers still aren't where he'd like them to be from a batting-average perspective. But he's doing a lot of solid things out there, and he's got a lot of room to grow."

QUOTABLE
"I think it's the right call. I could easily get a ground ball out of it if I had located. But it was out over the plate, middle-middle, 84 [mph]. That's probably one of the worst pitches I've thrown, one of the worst pitches in a long time." -- Friedrich on his changeup that Weeks hit for the go-ahead three-run homer
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Segura, Lamb, and Bourn all hit triples, pushing the D-backs' total to 33 this season. The previous club record for most three-baggers prior to the All-Star break was 29 set in 2004. They also matched a team record with three triples in a game for the ninth time.

HUDSON GOES ON BEREAVEMENT LIST
The D-backs placed reliever Daniel Hudson on the bereavement list prior to the game, as he will be attending his grandmother's funeral this week. Hudson will rejoin the team on Saturday in San Francisco.
Hudson (1-1, 4.50 ERA) has been struggling after starting off the season strong as the Arizona set-up man. The right-hander entered June 23 with a 1.55 ERA, but has a 33.00 ERA in his last six outings (11 earned runs in three innings) to raise his season ERA nearly three full runs.
WHAT'S NEXT
Padres:Colin Rea takes the hill in Arizona, making his final start of the first half -- and most likely his final start for about 11 days, as the Padres will give the rookie right-hander a bit of a break to ease his workload. The Padres have won Rea's last three starts, after he allowed one earned run over six innings on Friday. First pitch is slated for 6:40 p.m. PT.
D-backs: Struggling starter Shelby Miller takes the mound for the series finale, as the D-backs close out a nine-game homestand at 6:40 MST at Chase Field on Wednesday. Miller (2-8, 6.85) is 1-2 with a 6.27 ERA in three starts since coming off the disabled list. But the whole season has been a challenge for the right-hander, who is 0-6 with a 7.05 ERA in seven home starts.
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