PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks secured their first victory of the 2025 season on Friday night against the Chicago Cubs with an overpowering effort from the lineup at Chase Field.
Arizona racked up 14 hits, including six extra-base hits, in an 8-1 victory following its messy Opening Day loss.
Third baseman Eugenio Suarez crushed a pair of two-run home runs, his second and third of the year already. Designated hitter Pavin Smith and center fielder Alek Thomas each finished 3-for-4 with two doubles.
RELATED STORIES
Why the Diamondbacks bet on Brandon Pfaadt with new contract
Diamondbacks and P Brandon Pfaadt agree on 5-year contract extension
Diamondbacks and P Brandon Pfaadt agree on 5-year contract extension
Starting pitcher Merrill Kelly, meanwhile, bent but did not break early and delivered 5.1 innings with one earned run. He wasn’t happy about four walks but made big pitches to get out of trouble.
“It was a nice bounce-back after yesterday, where things were a little bit sloppy,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “Couple things we got to work on. We’ll continue tightening all that up. But in the space that I’m talking about, you come out after a tough day yesterday and we really responded.
“I felt like the difference today was the Merrill start let us get our footing a little bit, and then we slugged the baseball.”
Torey Lovullo commends his team for bouncing back from an Opening Day loss to beat the Cubs in commanding fashion tonight. pic.twitter.com/CztXlI8OS0
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) March 29, 2025
A sliding doors moment came in the second inning, which got off to a horrible start. Kelly walked Dansby Swanson, and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo followed with a low throw to first base that Josh Naylor failed to dig out. Pete Crow-Armstrong’s double put the D-backs in a precarious spot down 1-0, but Kelly worked out of it.
From there, it was all Diamondbacks.
“I think just momentum-wise, coming off last night, with the first couple how they were looking, obviously wanted to give the team a little bit of a boost going into today,” Kelly said.
“It’s just funny how spring training can build you up a little bit, but just nothing replicates the speed and the intensity of a real game. So coming off the mound that inning, being able to just keep it at one was a big momentum shift for us.”
The bullpen after Kelly was fantastic, recording 11 outs without a single hit allowed. Ryan Thompson, Joe Mantiply and Shelby Miller bridged the gap. Miller threw two scoreless innings in his re-debut after coming back to the team for a second stint (2016-18).
Miller struck out the side in the eighth and then faced Swanson in the ninth, the player Arizona traded for Miller nearly a decade ago. Swanson flew out to left field.
Diamondbacks offense off to promising start
Offensively, five Diamondbacks recorded multiple hits, with Ketel Marte and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. joining Suarez, Smith and Thomas.
The Diamondbacks led MLB in scoring last year and sit atop the leaderboard with 14 through two games (excluding the Cubs and Dodgers, who played a series in Tokyo beforehand).
Arizona scored six runs on Thursday but struggled with runners in scoring position (2-for-11). The D-backs had more chances and took advantage on Friday (6-for-17).
Suarez’s second home run gave them a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning, which Thomas followed with a double and scored on a Perdomo single. Gurriel and Smith each doubled in the fifth to really break the camel’s back. Chicago starter Jameson Taillon lasted only 4.1 innings with six earned runs.
“I told Suarez before the game that I’m hitting in front of him, so I’m gonna get a lot of fastballs,” Smith said. “And I did. He’s hit their starter well in the past and kept that going.”
Suarez has homered in three straight games dating back to last year, and all three of his big flies this year have been no-doubters.
Eugenio Suárez AGAIN!
He has three homers in two games ?? pic.twitter.com/OncmOT2HE0
— MLB (@MLB) March 29, 2025
“He looks like second half Geno,” Kelly said. “If he can do what he’s doing right now all season, like he did in the second half last year, we’ll definitely be in business. Geno’s the man, even when he was hitting whatever he was hitting in the first half … that guy’s the same guy every day coming into this clubhouse.
“Always smiling, always happy. So anytime somebody like that is having success, it’s fun to watch.”
"Geno's the man."
Merrill Kelly says it's fun to watch Eugenio Suarez start the season the way he finished 2024. pic.twitter.com/epp2L5qFT3
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) March 29, 2025
Diamondbacks up next
The Diamondbacks and Cubs continue their four-game series on Saturday at 5:10 p.m. with now-extended Brandon Pfaadt starting for Arizona. Left-hander Shota Imanaga is on the hill for Chicago.
The game will air on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
Follow @alexjweiner
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( More like it: Diamondbacks in win column after slugfest vs. Cubs )
Also on site :
- Udinese vs. Bologna - prediction, free live stream , lineups
- Champions League Showdown: Arsenal and PSG Battle for a Place in History
- Arsenal vs PSG: Match preview, Lineups and live broadcast