PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks didn’t appear to have enough juice for a perfect 6-0 homestand after the dramatics of Saturday’s walk-off win, as they dropped Sunday’s finale to the San Diego Padres on Father’s Day, 8-2.
Arizona starter Merrill Kelly and San Diego’s Nick Pivetta had a pitcher’s duel going through three innings before the Padres broke out with three runs in the fourth inning and another in the fifth.
Kelly, who had not allowed a run over his previous two starts, finished with four earned runs through five frames.
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Pivetta, meanwhile, cruised to seven innings pitched with two earned runs on two hits, one of which was an Eugenio Suarez two-run shot in the fifth. Suarez has 21 home runs this year, leading the team.
The D-backs finished with three hits as a team, as Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo went 0-for-12 at the top of the order with seven strikeouts.
It was an underwhelming finish to a stretch that vaulted the Diamondbacks back into the thick of the postseason race at the 70-game mark. They were six games back of a Wild Card spot at 31-34 when the homestand started and are now 3.5 games back.
Diamondbacks hitting the road
Arizona’s next nine games are on the road, a trip that provides opportunities to against some of the worst teams in baseball.
It starts with three games at the Toronto Blue Jays (38-33), who were swept over the weekend by Philadelphia.
The D-backs then head to Colorado for three games at the 14-57 Rockies before traveling to Chicago for a series against the 23-49 White Sox. They return home on June 27 for a series against the 28-41 Miami Marlins.
It is a great time to stay hot, while stumbling over the next 12 games could put the team in a tough spot after the easiest stretch on the schedule.
Monday is an off day for the team before hitting the field at Rogers Centre on Tuesday at 4:07 p.m. MST.
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