Monday, September 15, 2014
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Spruill's day of firsts lifts D-backs past Padres

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[September 15, 2014]  PHOENIX -- Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zeke Spruill hit the daily double Sunday, when he collected his first major league victory and his first major league hit.

"Probably the biggest (day) I've had, except for the one I got called up on," said Spruill, who made his major league debut June 21, 2013. "I don't really know how to describe it.

"This," he added, pointing to a wide grin, "is all I can do right now."

Spruill (1-1) entered in the fifth inning and gave up only an infield single and a walk in three scoreless innings during the Diamondbacks' 8-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday at Chase Field.

Third baseman Aaron Hill, second baseman Chris Owings and first baseman Mark Trumbo singled home runs in a five-run third inning, when Arizona scored all its runs with two outs and benefitted from two Padres miscues.

One Arizona run scored when the Padres failed to cover home plate. Another scored on a dropped fly ball.
 


Spruill, who turned on Thursday, got his first victory in his 10th major league appearance. He made two starts last season and another one this year, but before Sunday, his past three outings were in relief. Two were scoreless.

"I want to be here and I want to pitch," said Spruill, one of the five players Arizona received from Atlanta in the Justin Upton deal. "I don't care whether it is starting, relieving, long relieving, short relief."

First baseman Jake Goebbert had two hits and an RBI, and third baseman Yangervis Solarte had two hits and scored twice for San Diego (68-80), which has lost nine of its last 11.

Owings had two hits and Spruill doubled in his only at-bat for Arizona (61-88), which won its past two games after a season-worst, seven-game losing streak.

The Diamondbacks won all six series against San Diego, finishing 12-7 against the Padres this season.

Spruill entered to replace right-hander Trevor Cahill with a 5-4 lead and retired the first six batters he faced before giving up an infield single to lead off the seventh inning. After a two-out walk, Spruill got catcher Yasmani Grandal to pop out to end the inning.

"He has good deception," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said. "He keeps the ball down. His off-speed pitchers are coming. He just kept himself out of trouble."

San Diego right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne (3-7) gave up six hits and five runs (three earned) in 5 2/3 innings in his fourth start of the season against the Diamondbacks. He went 1-2 with a 2.96 ERA against them.

Owings singled in the first run of the five-run third inning before center fielder A.J. Pollock walked. Trumbo singled up the middle, with Owings scoring Pollock taking third. When Trumbo was caught between first and second, Pollock broke for the plate and scored when no one covered.

"We got guys hung up," Gibson said of the run-down play. "You do the best you can."

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Pollock had a path to score when Grandal stood about 10 feet in front of the plate and Despaigne was about 10 feet behind it, backing up a throw from shortstop Alexi Amarista.

"'Yazzi' realizes he should have gone back to home as quickly as possible," San Diego manager Bud Black said.

Trumbo scored when left fielder Cory Spangenberg dropped catcher Miguel Montero's fly ball at the fence, and Hill's RBI single capped the rally and made it 5-2.

Grandal gave San Diego a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the second inning, and left fielder Seth Smith singled home a run for 2-0 lead in the third.

The Padres scored twice off Cahill to make it 5-4 in the fourth inning. Goebbert doubled and scored on Spangenberg's groundout, and another run scored on Cahill's wild pitch.

Arizona shortstop Didi Gregorius had two hits, scored twice and drove in a run in a three-run eighth inning for an 8-4 lead.

Padres pinch hitter Adam Moore doubled in a run and Amarista drove in another on a groundout in the ninth inning.

Cahill allowed four runs on five hits in four innings.

Despaigne is 1-6 with a 5.31 ERA on the road in his rookie season.

"It might help a little bit pitching at home," Despaigne said, with catcher Rene Rivera interpreting. "(I) feel great on the road, too."

 



NOTES: Arizona OF Ender Inciarte, who has 16 stolen bases, could become the second rookie to lead the team in steals in a season. OF Luis Terrero led with 10 in 2004. OF Chris Young (27, 2007) has the Diamondbacks' rookie record. ... San Diego OF Will Venable (back) and OF Abraham Almonte (ankle) did not start for the third straight game, but Almonte pinch-hit in the eighth inning and Venable pinch-ran in the ninth. ... San Diego is 28-19 in one-run games, the best record in the majors.

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