ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - The Arizona Diamondbacks have scored more runs in the first inning this season than any team in baseball.
After Paul Goldschmidt’s 27th homer in the first put the NL West-leaders ahead to stay, the Diamondbacks tacked on enough runs to back All-Star lefty Patrick Corbin’s seven strong innings in a 6-4 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.
“To get a couple of runs there and get the lead and add on some runs, it’s huge, just get a good feeling going in the dugout,” Corbin said.
Arizona led 1-0 before Corbin (10-4) threw the first of his 96 pitches - 66 of them strikes as he struck out seven without a walk.
“Pretty challenging for us tonight,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “The slider was a pretty dynamic pitch for him.”
Corbin, who had never faced Texas before, has made 10 consecutive starts without allowing a homer, the longest span for the Diamondbacks in 15 years and matching Boston’s Chris Sale for the longest active streak in the majors.
“He has a really innate quality to locate balls at the bottom of the zone,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “You come to this ballpark, you wonder often what are going to be the conditions, and the ball does fly out of here. … Patrick did a great job, exceptional job of keeping the ball down out of trouble.”
Goldschmidt went deep to left in the first with a solo shot off Yovani Gallardo (7-2). Arizona led 4-0 in the fourth after Daniel Descalso had an RBI double and scored on a wild pitch. Descalso earlier had an RBI groundout.
Alex Avila’s sixth homer was a two-out solo shot to straightway center in the sixth.
Gallardo’s 11.43 run support average since June 23 had been the most in baseball, by nearly two runs over the next-closest pitcher. But he was done after 3 1/3 innings, the shortest of his 10 starts since re-joining Texas.
“Just couldn’t put guys away,” Gallardo said. “The main thing for me was to stay positive and get back on track.”
Gallardo walked three batters, and 35 of his 76 pitches were balls.
Jurickson Profar had a sacrifice fly for Texas before an RBI double to end his 0-for-15 slide .
Brad Boxberger worked the ninth for his 27th save in 32 chances, despite giving up a leadoff triple to Profar before a sac fly by Robinson Chirinos. It was only the fourth time in Boxberger’s 45 appearances this season that the first batter he faced got a hit.
THE PLAYER TO BE NAMED LATER
The Rangers acquired minor league OF Alexander Ovalles from the Cubs on Tuesday, completing the July 27 trade that sent lefty Cole Hamels to Chicago for RHPs Eddie Butler and Rollie Lacy and a player to be named later. The 17-year-old Ovalles is playing in the Dominican Summer League.
QUICK STARTS
Arizona’s 98 runs in the first inning are six more than Cleveland, which had a four-run first in their 8-1 win at Cincinnati earlier Tuesday.
SHORT HOPS
Corbin is 5-0 with a 1.60 ERA in his last seven interleague games. … Goldschmidt has reached safely in 34 consecutive roads, one short of the franchise record set by Eric Byrnes in June 2007. … Brandon Webb was the last Diamondbacks starter with 10 consecutive games without allowing a homer. Miguel Batista holds the team record of 11 in a row, from Aug. 22, 2002 to April 25, 2003.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Diamondbacks: OF A.J. Pollock, who was out May 15-July 2 because of a broken left thumb, got the day off after playing 18 consecutive games since July 25. “It just felt like it was a good time to give him this off day,” Lovullo said.
Rangers: 3B Adrian Beltre was out of the lineup a day after he re-aggravated the left hamstring injury that has already put him on the disabled list twice this season. The 39-year-old Beltre, baseball’s active career hits leader, will be re-evaluated Thursday. … RHP Chris Tillman, signed by Texas to a minor league deal after being released by the Baltimore Orioles on July 27, threw only 11 pitches for Triple-A Round Rock before leaving with a groin strain.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks: A day off Wednesday in the middle of a nine-game road trip before a four-game series at San Diego.
Rangers: After playing 13 days in a row, and 25 of 26 since the All-Star break, the Rangers have a day off before opening a four-game home series Thursday night against the Los Angeles Angels.
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