Philadelphia, PA (Best E Casino) - Chad Tracy went 3-for-5 and drove in three runs as the
Arizona Diamondbacks scored eight runs in the fourth inning to pound the
Philadelphia Phillies, 10-4, in the second of a three-game set.
Mark Reynolds hit a three-run homer for Arizona, which has split its last 10 games as it has hovered around the .500 mark. Saturday's win pushed the NL West-leading Diamondbacks to 47-47.
Randy Johnson (6-7) gave up five hits and four runs in six innings, and had a two-run double as he picked up the win for Arizona.
"It's nice to have a big lead like that, but you still have to go out and pitch a good ballgame," said Johnson, who left after warming up for the seventh inning with leg cramps, which he said were nothing to worry about. "For six innings, I didn't want to give up four runs, but I'm happy that we won."
Adam Eaton (3-8) continued to struggle for Philadelphia, and put up another awful outing that may have put his spot in the starting rotation in jeopardy. Eaton was ripped for eight runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings, ruining Shane Victorino's two-homer day for the Phillies, who saw their three-game win streak come to an end.
Coupled with the surging Mets' eighth straight win, the Phillies saw their lead over New York in the NL East shrink to a half-game. The Phils are also just a half-game ahead of the surging Florida Marlins.
The D-backs plated two in the first off the struggling Eaton. Stephen Drew and Conor Jackson started the game with consecutive singles, and Tracy's one-out single plated Drew. Reynolds' fielder's choice grounder scored Jackson for a 2-0 lead.
Victorino knotted the game at 2-2 with his two-run homer to left with two outs in the third, but Eaton ran into more trouble in the fourth.
After retiring the first two batters, Eaton gave up a single to Alex Romero, and walked Robby Hammock. Johnson then slammed a 3-2 fastball into the corner in left for a two-run double off his counterpart.
"That's the type of at-bat that we've been looking to get the last couple of months as a team," said Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin of Johnson's at-bat, during which he worked a 3-2 count before hitting the double. "He got deep in the count, saw some pitches, fouled some pitches off, put on a clinic. We may have to put that on video for some of our guys."
Eaton walked Drew, and Jackson's double to left plated another run.
After intentionally walking Orlando Hudson, Eaton was done for the day. He was not bailed out by reliever R.J. Swindle, who gave up a two-run single to Tracy and a three-run blast to Reynolds to bury the Phils in a 10-2 hole.
Swindle drove in a run with a groundout in the fifth, and Victorino followed with his fifth homer of the season, a solo shot to left. That was it for the Philadelphia offense, though, which didn't manage a hit over the last four innings.
Game Notes
Arizona's eight runs in the fourth inning tied a club record for runs in an inning. The D-backs have accomplished the feat five times, the last in April 2002 against the Braves...Eaton has allowed 16 runs -- 14 earned -- on 17 hits in 6 1/3 innings over his last two starts, and his earned run average has ballooned to 5.71...Philadelphia's Ryan Howard went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, ending his hitting streak at 14 games...Phillies second baseman Chase Utley, who is 0-for-9 against Johnson, was given the day off.