Joc Pederson and Eugenio Suarez homered and Ryne Nelson pitched six solid innings as the Arizona Diamondbacks notched a 7-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night at Phoenix.
Pederson and Tucker Barnhart had two hits and two RBIs as Arizona won for the ninth time in its past 13 games. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. added two hits as the Diamondbacks defeated the White Sox for the 11th time in their past 12 meetings.
Nelson (4-5) struck out eight and gave up one run on six hits and one walk. He has allowed one run in 10 2/3 career innings against Chicago.
Justin Martinez, Bryce Jarvis and Joe Mantiply each pitched a scoreless inning of relief for Arizona.
The White Sox have lost 19 of their past 22 games.
Chicago’s Chris Flexen (2-6) gave up six runs (four earned) and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out two as his winless streak reached seven starts.
Nicky Lopez had two hits and an RBI, Andrew Benintendi reached base three times on two hits and a walk and Paul DeJong had two hits for the White Sox.
Chicago scored a run in the second as Benintendi walked, DeJong singled and Lopez also singled to score Benintendi.
Arizona took the lead in the bottom of the inning. Gurriel singled, Randal Grichuk hit a double and Suarez walked to load the bases. Barnhart followed with a two-run single to right off Flexen to put the Diamondbacks ahead for good.
Arizona moved ahead 3-1 in the third on Gurriel’s two-out single that scored Pederson.
Suarez led off the fourth with a homer to left-center, his sixth of the season. Later in the inning, Corbin Carroll drove in a run on an infield single and scored on Pederson’s groundout.
Chicago’s Michael Soroka and Pederson engaged in a 10-pitch at-bat to start the seventh. Pederson emerged with a 425-foot homer to right. It was his ninth of the season.
Pederson’s homer was the only hit allowed by Soroka in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out four and walked one.
–Field Level Media