Christian Walker hit a third-inning grand slam Saturday for the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks, who rolled to a 10-5 win over the New York Mets in the third game of a four-game series.
The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Diamondbacks. Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso homered for the Mets, who were trying to win three straight games for the first time since a six-game winning streak from April 14-20.
The Diamondbacks had four stolen bases Saturday, including three in the third inning prior to Walker’s blast. Jake McCarthy led off with a single against Sean Manaea (3-2) and stole second before Kevin Newman worked a walk. McCarthy and Newman pulled off a double steal, after which Manaea struck out Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll.
Grichuk walked on four pitches and Walker hit his second career grand slam on the next pitch.
Blaze Alexander laced a run-scoring single before scoring on an error in the sixth for the Diamondbacks. Grichuk (single) and Eugenio Suarez (sacrifice flies) had RBIs in the seventh and Corbin Carroll added a two-run single in the eighth.
Alexander, Grichuk, McCarthy and Newman had two hits apiece for the Diamondbacks, who have collected 19 runs in their last two games — their most in consecutive contests since April 19-20, when Arizona beat the San Francisco Giants 17-1 before falling to the Giants 7-3
Kevin Ginkel (3-1), the second of the Diamondbacks’ four relievers, retired all three batters he faced bridging the fifth and sixth before exiting when he took a Brandon Nimmo comebacker off his knee.
Starter Slade Cecconi, who was recalled from Triple-A Reno on Friday, gave up one run on five hits — including Mark Vientos’ solo homer in the fifth — and no walks while striking out four over 4 2/3 innings.
The Mets scored four times in the ninth, when Tomas Nido had an RBI groundout and Jose Iglesias legged out an RBI infield single before Alonso’s two-run homer.
Vientos, Alonso, Jeff McNeil and J.D. Martinez had two hits apiece.
Manaea gave up six runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out 10 over 5 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media