Pirates Lose Fourth Game In A Row, Falling To Diamondbacks 11-2
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Ketel Marte homered twice and the Arizona Diamondbacks won at Pittsburgh for the ninth straight time, 11-2 over the Pirates on Wednesday night.
Marte extended Arizona's lead to 5-1 with a solo shot in the fifth inning and drove a three-run shot, his sixth homer this season, into the left-field bleachers in the eighth. It was the third multi-homer game of his career and second this season.
Arizona's nine-game winning streak at PNC Park is its longest in an opponent's stadium, surpassing its eight straight at Philadelphia from June 17, 2016-April 24, 2018. The Diamondbacks have not lost in Pittsburgh since May 29, 2017, when Andrew McCutchen homered in the ninth of a 4-3 win for the Pirates.
Eduardo Escobar, who was 3 for 4 with a walk, tripled in the first, and the Diamondbacks hit three straight singles to take a 2-0 lead. Nick Ahmed homered to lead off the second before Escobar doubled in Caleb Joseph for a 4-0 lead.
After Marte's first homer, the Diamondbacks added three runs on back-to-back two-out doubles from David Peralta and Christian Walker, extending the lead to 8-2 in the seventh.
Merrill Kelly (2-2) gave up two runs on six hits in seven innings, walking two and striking out five. The runs came on homers from Josh Bell in the fourth and Jung Ho Kang in the sixth.
Bell's home run was his fifth in 22 games after hitting 12 in 148 games last season.
Jordan Lyles (2-1) lasted five innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits with three strikeouts. He gave up one run on 10 hits in 17 innings through his first three starts.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Pirates: OF Bryan Reynolds did not play because of left quadriceps muscle discomfort he experienced during Tuesday's game. He took batting practice Wednesday. ... SS Erik Gonzalez will have surgery Thursday to repair a broken collarbone. He was injured while colliding with OF Starling Marte last Friday. ... OF Gregory Polanco was given the day off after having two hits in each of his first two games of the season. He had shoulder surgery last Sept. 12.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks: RHP Zack Greinke (3-1, 4.60 ERA) takes the mound in the series finale. He is 3-0 in his past four starts. Arizona will finish its 10-game trip after winning seven of the first nine games.
Pirates: RHP Jameson Taillon (1-2, 3.12) will look to end Pittsburgh's four-game skid. On Saturday, Taillon allowed one run on four hits in five innings of a rain-shortened 3-1 win over the San Francisco Giants.
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