The Arizona Diamondbacks returned home after a tough road trip, in which they got swept by the Cubs, split with the Reds, but blew a 6-0 lead in their final game to lose 7-6. With the Houston Astros coming to town with a terrible record, the D-backs needed to get things going to at least attempt to make some sort of run.
That's what they got. Trevor Cahill was shaky early, but a home run and three RBI by Justin Upton paced the Diamondbacks to a 13-8 win over Houston.
Cahill gave up a pair of runs in the first inning to allow Houston a lead. He allowed consecutive doubles by Jordan Schafer and Marwin Gonzalez to score the first run. Matt Downs bunted for a hit and then J.D. Martinez grounded into a double play, which allowed Gonzalez to score.
Arizona answered back in the bottom of the inning when Stephen Drew doubled in Gerardo Parra, who walked to leadoff the inning and took second on a wild pitch.
Houston kept getting baserunners, but Cahill kept it under control until the sixth. Miguel Montero also chipped in, throwing a pair of runners out trying to steal.
But Arizona took the lead in the third and turned the game into a rout in the fifth. In the third, Jason Kubel got an RBI groundout and Justin Upton homered to make it 4-2 Arizona.
In the fifth, they put up five more runs. Parra doubled and then Houston starter Bud Norris walked three straight batters (Aaron Hill, Jason Kubel and Justin Upton), bringing in one run. Miguel Montero then singled to drive in Hill and Kubel.
After Enerio Del Rosario came in to relieve Norris, Paul Goldschmidt promptly doubled home Upton. Trevor Cahill drove in the final run with a two-out base hit that scored Goldy, but Ryan Wheeler was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.
In the sixth, Cahill got only one out. He walked Brian Bogusevic, who went to second on a wild pitch. he went to third on a ground out, then scored when Ryan Wheeler committed an error on a grounder by Brian Bixler. Carlos Corporan double to score Bixler and then Cahill's night was over. Craig Breslow came in relief, walked a batter, but struck the final two of the inning to keep the score 9-4.
Arizona added four more runs in the seventh to push the score to 13-4. Ryan Wheeler got his first major league hit and Ryan Roberts, Stephen Drew and Gerardo Parra all drove in runs.
Houston got a run off of Jonathan Albaladejo when Houston catcher Carlos Corporan hit his first career homerun, and then got three runs in the ninth on a three-run shot by Scott Moore off Bryan Shaw.
For Arizona, only Jason Kubel was hitless in the lineup, but he scored a run and drove in one. Parra, Drew and Montero each had two hits, while Hill had three, as the team pounded out 14 for the game.
Cahill. who allowed three earned runs in five innings and a third, picked up the win to even his record to 8-8. Norris allowed all nine runs in four and one-third innings and picked up the loss, falling to 5-8.
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