PHOENIX (AP) — Corbin Carroll hit a grand slam to break an eighth-inning tie and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-2 on Saturday night for their fourth straight victory.
Ildemaro Vargas led off (1-2) with a single in the eighth inning against reliever Jeff Hoffman, extending his major league-leading hit streak from last season to 17 games.
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Alek Thomas had a single and Ketel Marte walked four. Carroll then hit his fourth career grand slam and third home run of the season, a hit to left-center on a 3-1 pitch.
Juan Morillo (1-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings and earned his first major league victory.
Toronto’s Max Scherzer is back where his major league journey began, showing flashes of his stellar career after struggling in his first three starts. He struck out 22 pitches in the first inning, allowing just one run, then finished six innings, allowing a total of five hits. He allowed one walk and one strikeout in 74 pitches.
Lourdes Gurriel returns to the Diamondbacks lineup for the first time since suffering a torn ACL in his right knee on Sept. 1. The left fielder went 0-for-4 and struck out Myles Straw who tried to convert a single into a double to end Toronto’s fourth game.
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After the Blue Jays tied the game in the sixth inning, a comeback call kept the game going. Eloy Jiménez had a single on first base and Andrés Giménez had a double for a clear double. But replays showed shortstop Geraldo Perdomo going to second. Kazuma Okamoto followed with a two-RBI single to tie the game at 2, chasing Zach Gallen.
Gallen gave up nine hits but allowed just two runs in 5 2/3 innings.
Next
Toronto RHP Kevin Gausman (0-1, 2.42) will face RHP Ryan Nelson (1-1, 3.54) in the series finale on Sunday.
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Associated Press MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb