Corbin Carroll and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. each hit a home run to help Eduardo Rodriguez and the Arizona Diamondbacks defeat the Miami Marlins 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Arizona, which had four hits in the game, improved to an MLB-best 30-13 since July 1. Carroll also scored a single on Joc Pederson’s hit, while Geraldo Perdomo walked twice.
The Diamondbacks have won the first two games of their three-game series against Miami after being swept by Tampa Bay over the weekend.
“I think the little things we do inside of a game that help us win the edge and those margins in a very uncommon way — that’s what we’re all about,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “Sometimes you get it done ugly and have to grind a little bit, and today was one of those days. We slugged when we needed to.”
Rodriguez allowed one run and six hits in 5 1/3 innings during his third start since returning from the injured list on Aug. 6. Rodriguez (2-0) struck out five batters and walked one.
“I’m starting to feel good. I feel like my velocity is starting to get back,” said Rodriguez, who missed the first four months of the season due to a left shoulder strain. “I can’t complain about the start today.”
Ryan Thompson, A.J. Puk, and Justin Martinez combined for 3 2/3 innings of one-hit relief after Rodriguez left. Martinez pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn his fourth save in five chances.
The Marlins hit five doubles but were 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position.
Rookie third baseman Connor Norby hit two doubles in his second game since being called up by Miami on Monday. Norby and outfielder Kyle Stowers were acquired in a trade with Baltimore for pitcher Trevor Rogers on July 30.
“He got two extra-base hits, and his defense looks good,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “He is probably surprising himself making the plays look so routine. He’s making it look easy.”
