PHOENIX — Pinch-hitter Wily Mo Pena hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks recovered after J.J. Putz’s second straight blown save to beat the Cleveland Indians 6-4 Tuesday night.
AP Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore slams into the wall while trying to haul in a fly ball off the bat of Arizona’s Gerardo Parra in the fifth inning Tuesday night in Phoenix. The hit went for a triple. (AP photo.)
Arizona appeared to be in control after Daniel Hudson’s eight strong innings and two big hits by Kelly Johnson, only to see a late rally go to waste on a blown save by Putz (1-3).
The Diamondbacks rallied again in the bottom of the ninth against Tony Sipp (3-1), getting a walk and two stolen bases by Ryan Roberts to set up Pena’s line-drive homer over the wall in left and a wild celebration at the plate.
Alberto Castillo (1-0) got one out for the win after being called up from the minors earlier in the day.
Johnson put the Diamondbacks in line for a win for the second straight night, hitting a solo homer off Indians starter Josh Tomlin in the sixth inning, then lining a tiebreaking single off Rafael Perez after driving in the go-ahead run the night before. Johnson later scored on Justin Upton’s run-scoring single off Joe Smith, putting Arizona up 4-2 heading into the final inning.
Putz couldn’t hold it.
The right-hander allowed a two-out homer to Orlando Cabrera in a 5-4 loss to the Indians on Monday night and was in trouble right off the bat Tuesday, walking Cabrera on four pitches to open the ninth. An out later, Carlos Santana tied the game with a towering, two-run homer that curled just inside the foul pole in right.
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Putz left to a chorus of boos after giving up a two-out double to Travis Buck.
It was relatively quiet before that, thanks to Hudson and Tomlin.
Hudson was solid for the ninth straight start, allowing two runs on six hits with five strikeouts.
Tomlin was just as good, allowing two runs on five hits in seven innings. The right-hander lasted five innings for the 28th straight game, matching the major league record to start a career, set by Boston’s Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007.
But this wasn’t just a battle of arms. The pitchers were wielding their bats, too.
Tomlin had his first career hit in the third inning, dropping down a sacrifice bunt that slipped past Hudson to the third base side. That set up Cleveland’s first run, on a double-play grounder by Michael Brantley.
Tomlin went a more conventional route for his second career hit in the fifth inning, ripping a single up the middle for his first career RBI to put the Indians up 2-0. It also was the first RBI by an Indians pitcher since CC Sabathia against the Dodgers on June 21, 2008.
Hudson proved to be capable with the bat in the bottom half, fighting off a couple of pitches with two strikes, then lining a run-scoring double down the line in right to make it 2-1.
Johnson finally scored a run a pitcher had nothing to do with, lifting his 13th homer to left to tie it at 2 in the sixth.
Putz blew the win again, but Pena snatched it back with a homer that just cleared the wall.
Notable
- Diamondbacks hitting coach Don Baylor turned 62 on Tuesday.
- Indians CF Grady Sizemore was looked at by team trainers after slamming into the wall on Gerardo Parra’s triple in the fifth inning, but remained in the game.
- Hudson is 3-0 in six career June starts.
