Gallen and Suárez help the Diamondbacks beat the Red Sox 4-1 for their 5th straight win
By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer
BOSTON - Zac Gallen pitched six innings of two-hit ball, and Eugenio Suárez hit a two-run double off the Green Monster on Saturday to help Arizona beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1 for the Diamondbacks' fifth straight victory.
Gallen (10-6) struck out nine and walked four to reach double digits in wins for the third season in a row. He took a no-hitter into the fifth before Connor Wong dropped a single into right field, and left after 99 pitches when Arizona went up 4-0 in the top of the seventh.
The Diamondbacks have won 23 of their last 29 games to take hold of the top NL wild-card spot. They entered the day four games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
Boston managed just three hits through eight innings but led off the ninth with back-to-back hits off Paul Sewald to make it 4-1 before the reliever retired the next three batters.
Kutter Crawford (8-11) gave up three hits in five innings for Boston, while also walking two and striking out three.
One night after erupting for 12 runs on 16 hits, the Diamondbacks managed just one hit - and a lone baserunner - against Crawford through three innings before Joc Pederson hit a long flyball toward left field with one out in the fourth. Boston center fielder Jarren Duran crashed into the Green Monster trying to catch it, but it went off his glove for a double.
Josh Bell walked, and one out later Suárez scraped the left-field wall to make it 2-0.
The Diamondbacks scored two more runs in the seventh without a hit when Lucas Sims walked two, then Brennan Bernardino walked two more and also threw a wild pitch that brought in another run.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (3-0) faces Red Sox RHP Tanner Houck (8-8) in the series finale on Sunday.