The Arizona Diamondbacks squeezed everything they needed out of five hits to secure a series sweep over the Miami Marlins on Thursday, using speed and power to earn a 6-4 victory.
The D-backs sent two balls over the fence, as Pavin Smith and Josh Naylor both blasted solo home runs to give Arizona nine long balls in the series. The D-backs’ club record for home runs in a three-game set remains at 10.
Aggressive baserunning made a huge difference, as Arizona stole five bases within the first four innings of a game for the first time in franchise history.
Corbin Carroll started it off with two steals in the first inning after reaching base on a dropped third strike. He scored on a Geraldo Perdomo sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead off Miami starter Edward Cabrera before Smith pounded his second homer of the series.
Corbin Carroll had just one stolen base all season entering today.
He has 3 steals through the first 4 innings! pic.twitter.com/ORNEuzXNqX
— MLB (@MLB) April 17, 2025
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Perdomo took off for second after walking to lead off the third, and Smith punch a double to left. Perdomo never stopped, sliding into home under the tag.
An inning later, Tim Tawa walked and stole second, setting up Carroll for an RBI single up the middle. Carroll followed with his third steal of the game after he entered Thursday with one, and Perdomo drove Carroll in with a single to center.
The Diamondbacks finished with a season-high six stolen bases — their previous high was only three. It was also the first time this season the Diamondbacks recorded more stolen bases than hits in a game.
Naylor, meanwhile, homered for the third straight game. Smith and Naylor are batting .404 and .324 this season, respectively.
It was an effective combination of chaos ball and power, even with a black hole from the bottom five in the batting order (0-for-18, 10 Ks). Arizona finished 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position, which helped keep the Marlins competitive.
Eduardo Rodriguez continues Diamondbacks’ string of good starts
Eduardo Rodriguez became the first Diamondbacks starter to strike out six batters through two innings since Zac Gallen in 2023.
Rodriguez had a bit of an odd start considering his defense did not do him many favors and his pitch count climbed early. He allowed three runs in 5.1 innings but only one was earned, plus he struck out nine batters without a single walk.
He gave up 10 hits, which paired with a couple defensive missed chances created some difficult spots, but he successfully maintained the lead throughout his outing.
The Diamondbacks have received eight straight starts of three runs allowed or fewer (2.28 ERA), and it is not a coincidence that the team record is 7-1 in this span.
Arizona enters a series on Friday against the Chicago Cubs in which Corbin Burnes, Gallen and Merrill Kelly are lined up.
Thursday’s win was harder than it should’ve been given the two errors, leaving runners on base and the Marlins’ scoring opportunities late.
Ryan Thompson loaded the bases in the seventh, and Justin Martinez walked in a run before striking out Connor Norby looking to strand three runners. Jalen Beeks walked the lead-off man in the eighth, but he struck out the next three batters to escape unscathed.
Justin Martinez fires one in at 102 MPH to strand the bases loaded ? pic.twitter.com/Ly8f810sU9
— MLB (@MLB) April 17, 2025
A.J. Puk surrendered a lead-off double to Griffin Conine in the ninth inning, but Puk stranded the runner to earn the save. Even the last at-bat was hard, as Xavier Edwards grounded out on the ninth pitch he saw.
Miami finished 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position and left 15 men on base.
Diamondbacks’ next game
Arizona (12-7) is riding a five-game winning streak into a big weekend series against another club with October aspirations.
The D-backs head to Wrigley Field to face the 12-9 Cubs. Arizona split a four-game set with Chicago to open the season at Chase Field.
Chicago’s probable starters are Colin Rea, Ben Brown and Jameson Taillon, respectively.
First pitch on Friday is 11:20 a.m. on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
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