PHOENIX (AP) Jean Segura is batting a cool .400 in his home ballpark after the four hits he registered Monday night in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 12-7 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
One of the four hits was a go-ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning that came during a historic turn at bat for the Diamondbacks.
“I was not ready for an inside pitch. I just reacted to that pitch and I just hit it out,” Segura, a first-year Diamondback, said. Then he was asked about hitting at Chase Field. “Even when I was a visitor I loved to play here. Everything is going to my favorite side.”
Segura’s blast highlighted Arizona’s nine-run sixth inning and made ace Zack Greinke a winner despite allowing seven runs. The Cardinals bullpen was rocked in the sixth after starter Jaime Garciawas removed with two runners on base.
Greinke (2-2) lasted 6 2/3 innings and gave up 11 hits. He’s surrendered 21 runs in five starts and has a 6.16 earned run average.
“I thought I did all right. It’s just kind of embarrassing giving up seven runs thinking you did all right,” Greinke said. “I’ll take it, as long as it’s not like that all the time.”
Matt Bowman (0-1) gave up a run-scoring single to Chris Owings, his second RBI of the night, and Greinke helped himself by bouncing a single through a drawn-in infield that was expecting a bunt with two strikes.
Kevin Siegrist entered with one out and served up Segura’s fourth home run of the season, a line drive into the left field seats. Siegrist then put two runners on and was taken out in favor of Seth Maness, who surrendered Yasmany Tomas‘ RBI double, Welington Castillo‘s two-run single and another RBI single for Owings.
“The guys battled back again,” Arizona manager Chip Hale said. “It’s a real relentless attitude.”
The three relievers were charged with six combined earned runs. The nine-run inning tied for the third-most productive in Diamondbacks history and most ever for Arizona against St. Louis in one inning, and those in the crowd cheering for the home team gave it a standing ovation with the final out after 14 batters came up the plate.
“We put up those kind of runs against a pitcher like Greinke, we’ve got to figure out a way to get it done,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “Siegrist was our most rested guy and it ended being a rough inning for us.”
Rookie Jeremy Hazelbaker, a mid-game injury replacement, hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat of the game for St. Louis. Hazelbaker took Greinke deep with two outs in the top of the fifth inning to give the Cardinals a 5-2 lead.
DIAMONDBACKS MOVES
The Diamondbacks did some re-arranging of their bullpen before Monday’s game. Pitchers Dominic Leone and Keith Hessler were recalled from the minors, Leone from Triple-A Reno and Hessler from Double-A Mobile. Relievers Evan Marshall and Tyler Wagner were optioned to Reno.
OOPS
St. Louis CF Randal Grichuk completely misjudged Tomas’ line drive to center field in the second inning, and it ended up costing the Cardinals a run. Grichuck came in for the ball but it sailed over his head and bounced off the wall without him getting a glove on it to slow it down. Tomas scored later in the inning.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: Matt Holliday grounded out to third for the second out of the third inning, then Hazelbacker took over in left field in the bottom of the inning. Holliday is listed as day to day. “It was tight when he was heading down to first base and we had to get him out,” Matheny said. … Carpenter fell trying to field a bouncing ball from Arizona Jean Segura in the first inning. A trainer came out to check on him but Carpenter stayed in the game.
Diamondbacks: Pitcher Josh Collmenter, on the 15-day disabled list since April 2 with right shoulder inflammation, threw an inning Monday in an extended spring training game and is scheduled to pitch next on Thursday.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (3-0) looks to stay undefeated when he faces the Diamondbacks Tuesday night. It’ll be his 40th career start. The Cardinals have won every game in which he has appeared against Arizona (5-0).
Diamondbacks: Former Cardinal Shelby Miller (0-1) faces his former team on Tuesday. Miller is 1-1 with a 0.59 ERA against the Cardinals in his career. He went 26-18 in 63 starts for St. Louis from 2012-14.
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