Red Sox
BOSTON (AP) — Zac Gallen pitched six two-hit innings and Eugenio Suárez hit a two-run double against the Green Monster on Saturday, helping Arizona to a 4-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox, the Diamondbacks' fifth consecutive win.
In his first profession appearance at Fenway Park, Gallen (10-6) struck out nine and walked 4, reaching double-digit win totals for the third consecutive season. He pitched a no-hitter until the fifth inning before Connor Wong hit a single to right field, and left the sector after 99 pitches as Arizona took a 4-0 lead within the seventh inning.
Before the sport, he signed his name within the Green Monster – he was startled by the noise of the wall balls during batting practice.
“I probably spent a good 10 minutes out there just watching and watching. So it was a lot of fun,” said Gallen, who took a tour of the stadium along with his mom in the course of the winter when he was in highschool and attended just a few games during his college years in North Carolina.
“It's fun to think about being on the mound with the guys who have played here for the last hundred years,” he said. “It's fun to see 'Sweet Caroline' in the eighth inning. You grew up a baseball fan, these are things that kind of stick with you.”
The Diamondbacks have won 23 of their last 29 games to clinch the primary NL wild-card spot and entered the day 4 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers within the NL West.
Boston managed just three hits in eight innings, but began the ninth with two straight hits against Paul Sewald to extend the result in 4-1 before the reliever struck out the following three batters.
Kutter Crawford (8-11) allowed three hits in five innings for Boston, while also allowing two walks and three strikeouts. Boston pitchers allowed six walks – including 4 that helped Arizona rating two runs and not using a hit within the seventh inning.
“If the pitcher has good stuff or is attacking and we don't get hits, I think our patience will pay off,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We'll get some baserunners and create some opportunities to score. We did that today.”
An evening after scoring 12 runs on 16 hits, the Diamondbacks managed only one hit — and a single baserunner — against Crawford in three innings before Joc Pederson hit an extended fly ball to left field with one out within the fourth inning. Boston center fielder Jarren Duran bumped into the Green Monster as he tried to field the ball, however the ball bounced off his glove and have become a double.
Josh Bell drew a walk, and one out later, Suárez clipped the left outfield wall to make it 2-0. The Diamondbacks scored two more hitless runs within the seventh inning when Lucas Sims drew two walks, then Brennan Bernardino drew two more walks and likewise threw a wild pitch that scored one other run.
Next
In the series finale on Sunday, Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (3-0) faces Red Sox RHP Tanner Houck (8-8).
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