Gurriel extends majors’ longest hitting streak to 15 games, Diamondbacks beat Phillies 6-3

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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PHILADELPHIA – Lourdes Gurriel Jr. extending the longest active hitting streak in the majors to 15 games with a homer, double and two RBIs as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3.

Pavin Smith also homered for the Diamondbacks, who have won eight of their last 10 games and five of seven on their nine-game trip to Oakland, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Kyle Schwarber and Bryson Stott hit solo homers for the Phillies, who have lost six of their last eight games.

Gurriel, acquired by Arizona over the winter in a three-player trade with Toronto, went 4 for 4 and improved his average to .321. During his hitting streak, Gurriel has a .416 average (25 for 60) with six doubles, seven homers and 14 RBIs. On the road this season, Gurriel is hitting .351 (19 for 54) with three doubles, four homers and 9 RBIs in his last 13 games.

“I feel very comfortable,” Gurriel said. “The hitting coaches have worked great with me and we have had a very good communication together.”

In the second inning, Gurriel connected on a hanging sweeper from Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, driving the ball into the left-center field seats for his eighth homer of the season. He capped off the night with a scorching liner just inside the first base bag in the eighth inning, scoring Christian Walker with an insurance run after Philadelphia had closed within 4-3.

“He’s just a great hitter and its fun to watch the approach,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “He gets a slider middle-up and middle-in and hits it for the big home run. And when these guys go out and perform at an elite level, I have a front row seat and it’s awful fun for me.”

Wheeler (3-4) was slowed by a fielding error by Stott on a possible Gabriel Moreno double play ball in the second. It proved costly when Geraldo Perdomo doubled into the right field corner, scoring two runs.

Schwarber and Stott cut the deficit to one run with solo homers in the fourth inning off Diamondbacks left-hander Tommy Henry (2-1). Smith answered in the fifth with a leadoff solo shot off Wheeler, who allowed eight hits and three earned runs during his six innings of work.

“I thought he was better than the line,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “The Gurriel home run and the (Smith) home run were one of the few balls that were hard hit. Maybe Perdomo’s ball as well, but there were a lot of soft hits. They did a nice job to get his pitch count up, but he fought through six and that was huge for us.”

Trea Turner ended an 0-for-22 slump with runners in scoring position when he hit an RBI single in the seventh for the Phillies.

Henry allowed four hits, including the two solo homers, and struck out five. He had 18 swings and misses among his 93 pitches. Andrew Chafin picked up his seventh save of the season.

TRAINERS ROOM

Phillies: LHP Jose Alvarado (left elbow inflammation) threw off flat ground during pre-game work at Citizens Bank Park on Monday. If he feels well enough on Tuesday after a cool down day, manager Rob Thomson said that the Phillies would expect the reliever to work in the bullpen on Wednesday for the first of two anticipated side sessions before heading out on a rehab outing. … INF Edmundo Sosa was held out of the starting lineup on Monday after experiencing tightness in his calf heading back to the first base bag. He did pinch-hit in the ninth inning, striking out.

UP NEXT

The teams will meet in the second game of a three-game set on Tuesday night. Arizona will send RHP Ryne Nelson (1-2, 5.48 ERA) to the mound. The Phillies will go with a bullpen game, starting with reliever Matt Strahm (4-3, 2.73) and likely turning to the newly acquired Dylan Covey (0-0, 4.50 ERA) handling the bulk of the innings.

Padres claim 2-time All-Star catcher Gary Sánchez off waivers from Mets

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
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SAN DIEGO — The scuffling San Diego Padres claimed catcher Gary Sánchez off waivers from the New York Mets.

The two-time All-Star was designated for assignment after playing in three games for the Mets. He went 1 for 6 with three strikeouts and an RBI, looking shaky at times behind the plate.

With the disappointing Padres (24-29) getting meager offensive production at catcher, they hope Sánchez can provide a boost. Austin Nola is batting .131 with three extra-base hits and a paltry .434 OPS in 39 games. His part-time platoon partner, second-stringer Brett Sullivan, is hitting .170 with four extra-base hits and a .482 OPS in 21 games since getting called up from the minors April 16.

Luis Campusano has been on the injured list since April 17 and is expected to be sidelined until around the All-Star break following left thumb surgery.

San Diego is responsible for just over $1 million in salary for Sánchez after assuming his $1.5 million, one-year contract.

The star-studded Padres have lost seven of 11 and are 3-3 on a nine-game East Coast trip. They open a three-game series at Miami.

San Diego becomes the third National League team to take a close look at the 30-year-old Sánchez this season. He spent time in the minors with San Francisco before getting released May 2 and signing a minor league contract a week later with the Mets, who were minus a couple of injured catchers at the time.

After hitting well in a short stint at Triple-A Syracuse, he was promoted to the big leagues May 19. When the Mets reinstated catcher Tomás Nido from the injured list last week, Sánchez was cut.

Sánchez’s best seasons came early in his career with the New York Yankees, where he was runner-up in 2016 AL Rookie of the Year voting and made the AL All-Star team in 2017 and 2019.

He was traded to Minnesota before the 2022 season and batted .205 with 16 homers and 61 RBIs in 128 games last year.

With the Padres, Sánchez could also be a candidate for at-bats at designated hitter, where 42-year-old Nelson Cruz is batting .245 with three homers, 16 RBIs and a .670 OPS, and 37-year-old Matt Carpenter is hitting .174 with four homers, 21 RBIs and a .652 OPS.