- Associated Press - Thursday, June 8, 2017

PHOENIX (AP) - Chris Iannetta wasn’t sure what to make of the lineup card when he looked at it before Thursday’s game and saw he was batting second. Then he realized he was hitting in front of All-Star Paul Goldschmidt and knew he would see some pitches to hit.

Iannetta hit them and then some.

The veteran catcher drove in a career-high seven runs with a home run and two doubles, and the Arizona Diamondbacks routed the San Diego Padres 15-3 on Thursday to finish a three-game sweep.

“I kind of looked at (the lineup) and it was the two-hole and I was like, ’That’s definitely a typo,’” Iannetta said. “Then I asked if they were joking around. Hitting in front of Goldy, how can you not want to do that?”

Iannetta hit a go-ahead, two-run homer off Clayton Richard (4-7) for a 4-3 lead in the fifth, a three-run double against Kevin Quackenbush in the sixth and a two-run double off Brandon Maurer in the eighth. Six of Iannetta’s eight home runs this season have tied the score or put the Diamondbacks ahead.

“These are the days you play baseball for,” Iannetta said. “The chance to contribute, and then you have fun while doing it and you feel like a kid again.”

Arizona scored 10 runs with two outs, won its ninth straight at Chase Field and improved the best home record in the major leagues to 24-8. The Diamondbacks outscored the Padres 32-9 in the sweep, which extended San Diego’s losing streak to five.

Padres infielder Erick Aybar relieved after Maurer allowed four runs in the eighth. He walked Daniel Descalso, then retired Brandon Drury on a flyout and got Jake Lamb to ground into a double play. Aybar made his big league mound debut April 18 when he retired Chris Herrmann on a groundout to end the top of the ninth in an 11-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Patrick Corbin (5-6) improved to 5-0 in six home starts, allowing three runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts and three walks.

“Thought I located everything a lot better than I have,” Corbin said. “Just keep fighting, and we’ll start hitting, I guess.”

Richard gave up four runs and six hits in five innings.

“It was very matter of fact what went wrong. I wasn’t like it snowballed out of control,” Richard said of his outing. “It was just a couple of pitches and one misplayed ball.”

San Diego’s first five hitters reached base, and Austin Hedges’ two-run single put the Padres ahead. Chris Owings hit an RBI double in the bottom half and scored on Descalso’s bloop single, but Hunter Renfroe’s RBI double gave the Padres a 3-2 lead in the third.

TWO REVIEWS, ONE BASE

Each team challenged tag plays at third base and got both safe calls by umpire Clint Fagan overturned on video reviews. The Diamondbacks challenged Jose Pirela’s attempt to take third base on Yangervis Solarte’s single in the first inning, and the Padres got the call changed when Arizona’s Nick Ahmed was ruled safe trying to steal third in the second inning.

A RARE CALL

Padres pinch-hitter Allen Cordoba was called out for batter’s interference in the top of the sixth with a man on base and the Padres trailing by one.

Padres manager Andy Green wasn’t happy about home plate umpire Tim Timmons’ decision.

“We got a really unique interference call there. Something that quite frankly I don’t quite understand, and I made sure Tim Timmons understood that,” Green said. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to make an interference call on a ball that almost hits my hitter’s kneecaps off. That inning changes dramatically if you tie that game.”

Green said he was told Cordoba didn’t make an effort to get out of the way of a throw to second base. “They’ll probably look at that one later and realize later that that was probably a reach for a call,” Green said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: Ace Zack Greinke was placed on the paternity leave list Thursday to be with his wife, Emily, for the birth of their second child. RHP Silvino Bracho was recalled from Triple-A Reno. … Herrmann missed his second game due to right hand soreness.

UP NEXT

Padres: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (4-5) is to face Kansas City on Friday night in San Diego. He is 2-1 with a 1.36 ERA in five starts at home this season, and opposing hitters are batting .157 against him at Petco Park.

Diamondbacks: RHP Randall Delgado (1-1) starts Friday against visiting Milwaukee.

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide