Nolan Arenado drove in two runs and moved within two hits of 2,000 for his career to lead the host Arizona Diamondbacks to a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday in Phoenix.
Arenado was 2-for-4 and Ketel Marte 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored for the Diamondbacks, who evened the three-game series at a game each and have won five of their last six.
Jimmy Crooks homered and J.J. Wetherholt was 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Cardinals, who have lost two of their last three.
Arizona starter and winner Brandon Pfaadt (4-1) allowed two runs on six hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out three in 5 1/3 innings. All four wins have come in four starts since he returned from Triple-A Reno on June 30 and his ERA in those games is 2.14
St. Louis starter Dustin May (5-7) gave up five runs and eight hits with four walks and six strikeouts over five innings in taking the loss.
Crooks’ solo homer came with one out in the ninth off Arizona closer Paul Sewald, who nonetheless picked up his 23rd save. Crooks’ third homer was estimated at 443 feet and landed deep into the right field stands.
The Diamondbacks took a 1-0 lead in the second on an opposite-field RBI single to right-center field by James McCann.
Arizona plated three runs with two out in the third to make it 4-0.
Marte scampered home from third on May’s wild pitch to make it 2-0. After Gabriel Moreno’s single and a walk to Max Kepler, Arenado lined a two-run double into the left field corner.
Marte’s RBI single in the fourth stretched the lead to 5-0.
The Cardinals scored twice in the sixth on a run-scoring single by Jordan Walker and an RBI fielder’s choice grounder from Masyn Winn.
The Diamondbacks placed outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on the 10-day injured list with a right adductor strain before the game. Catcher Adrian Del Castillo was recalled from Triple-A Reno to replace Gurriel Jr. on the roster.
