Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Eric Stults did it all Friday, tossing seven
scoreless innings and driving in three runs as the Padres downed the
Diamondbacks, 5-0, in the opener of a three-game series.
Stults (4-2) scattered three hits and one walk and added a two-run single and
an RBI double to carry San Diego to a fifth straight victory.
Chris Denorfia hit a solo homer and added a sacrifice fly as part of a 13-hit
attack against Patrick Corbin and the Arizona bullpen.
Corbin (5-5), who was 3-0 with a 2.77 ERA in four starts since his recall from
the minor leagues on Aug. 1, surrendered four runs on nine hits over four
innings to take the loss.
Arizona had just four hits two days after sweeping the Marlins in the first
doubleheader in Chase Field history.
Stults, a career .238 hitter (15-for-63) coming in, stepped up with the bases
loaded in the second inning and stroked a 1-1 fastball into center field to
knock in Yasmani Grandal and Yonder Alonso, who both reached on singles and
moved up on Everth Cabrera's two-out walk.
Denorfia led off the next inning with his fifth home run of the season, and
Stults delivered again with two outs in the fourth, this time hammering a 1-2
pitch into the left-field gap to plate Cameron Maybin.
The Diamondbacks' best chance to score came in the fifth when their first two
hitters singled, but Stults retired the next three, including an inning-ending
strikeout of Chris Young.
Again Stults helped himself with the bat in the seventh, as his sacrifice bunt
moved Cabrera to third following the shortstop's leadoff double. Denorfia's
sac fly to right plated Cabrera.
Nick Vincent picked up where Stults left off and tossed a scoreless eighth,
and Tom Layne hurled a 1-2-3 ninth to complete the shutout.
GAME NOTES:
Stults threw 63 of his 103 pitches for strikes ... The Padres have won five
straight at Chase Field ... Arizona had held the Marlins scoreless in the
final 16 innings of Thursday's doubleheader ... Arizona did not record an
extra-base hit.
The Sports Network