Gurriel extends majors’ longest hitting streak to 15 games, D-backs beat Phillies 6-3

By KEVIN COONEY
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Lourdes Gurriel Jr. extending the longest active hitting streak in the majors to 15 games with a homer, double and two RBIs as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 Monday night.

Pavin Smith also homered for the Diamondbacks, who have won eight of their last 10 games and five of seven on their nine-game trip to Oakland, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Kyle Schwarber and Bryson Stott hit solo homers for the Phillies, who have lost six of their last eight games.

Gurriel, acquired by Arizona over the winter in a three-player trade with Toronto, went 4 for 4 and improved his average to .321. During his hitting streak, Gurriel has a .416 average (25 for 60) with six doubles, seven homers and 14 RBIs. On the road this season, Gurriel is hitting .351 (19 for 54) with three doubles, four homers and 9 RBIs in his last 13 games.

“I feel very comfortable,” Gurriel said. “The hitting coaches have worked great with me and we have had a very good communication together.”

In the second inning, Gurriel connected on a hanging sweeper from Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, driving the ball into the left-center field seats for his eighth homer of the season. He capped off the night with a scorching liner just inside the first base bag in the eighth inning, scoring Christian Walker with an insurance run after Philadelphia had closed within 4-3.

“He’s just a great hitter and its fun to watch the approach,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “He gets a slider middle-up and middle-in and hits it for the big home run. And when these guys go out and perform at an elite level, I have a front row seat and it’s awful fun for me.”

Wheeler (3-4) was slowed by a fielding error by Stott on a possible Gabriel Moreno double play ball in the second. It proved costly when Geraldo Perdomo doubled into the right field corner, scoring two runs.

Schwarber and Stott cut the deficit to one run with solo homers in the fourth inning off Diamondbacks left-hander Tommy Henry (2-1). Smith answered in the fifth with a leadoff solo shot off Wheeler, who allowed eight hits and three earned runs during his six innings of work.

“I thought he was better than the line,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “The Gurriel home run and the (Smith) home run were one of the few balls that were hard hit. Maybe Perdomo’s ball as well, but there were a lot of soft hits. They did a nice job to get his pitch count up, but he fought through six and that was huge for us.”

Trea Turner ended an 0-for-22 slump with runners in scoring position when he hit an RBI single in the seventh for the Phillies.

Henry allowed four hits, including the two solo homers, and struck out five. He had 18 swings and misses among his 93 pitches. Andrew Chafin picked up his seventh save of the season.

TRAINERS ROOM

Phillies: LHP Jose Alvarado (left elbow inflammation) threw off flat ground during pre-game work at Citizens Bank Park on Monday. If he feels well enough on Tuesday after a cool down day, manager Rob Thomson said that the Phillies would expect the reliever to work in the bullpen on Wednesday for the first of two anticipated side sessions before heading out on a rehab outing. … INF Edmundo Sosa was held out of the starting lineup on Monday after experiencing tightness in his calf heading back to the first base bag. He did pinch-hit in the ninth inning, striking out.

UP NEXT

The teams will meet in the second game of a three-game set on Tuesday night. Arizona will send RHP Ryne Nelson (1-2, 5.48 ERA) to the mound. The Phillies will go with a bullpen game, starting with reliever Matt Strahm (4-3, 2.73) and likely turning to the newly acquired Dylan Covey (0-0, 4.50 ERA) handling the bulk of the innings.

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