Diamondbacks top A’s with balanced attack, snap post-deadline skid

Corbin Carroll capped a three-run second with an RBI single, Eduardo Rodriguez threw five effective innings and the Arizona Diamondbacks won a road series over the Athletics with a 6-4 victory Sunday afternoon in West Sacramento, Calif.

Blaze Alexander hit his first home run of the season, while Alek Thomas and Geraldo Perdomo had three hits apiece for Arizona, which rebounded from an export-dominated trade deadline and a 5-1 loss in the series opener on Friday with 7-2 and 6-4 wins.

The Diamondbacks jumped on rookie Jack Perkins (0-2), making his first big-league start, for three runs in the second inning after loading the bases with no outs. A walk drawn by Connor Kaiser, making his big-league season debut, and sacrifice fly by Jose Herrera plated a run apiece before Carroll delivered the third with his single to center field.

Arizona tacked on single runs in the third on an RBI single by Thomas, in the seventh on Alexander's fourth career homer and in the ninth when Alexander made it a two-hit, two-RBI day with a run-scoring single.

Rodriguez (4-7) took a shutout and a four-run lead into the fifth before the A's cut the deficit in half on a two-run single by Nick Kurtz.

The veteran pitcher avoided further damage in the inning, then turned the ball over to the Arizona bullpen, which combined to allow just two more runs and two more hits. Kyle Nelson, the fourth Diamondbacks reliever, picked up his first career save after pitching the ninth.

Rodriguez was charged with two runs on six hits in his five innings. He walked three and struck out five.

The A's Perkins was pulled after three innings, having allowed four runs and five hits. He walked three and struck out four.

The hosts' final two runs came in the seventh on an RBI infield out by Max Schuemann and in the ninth on a solo homer by JJ Bleday, his ninth.

The homer capped a 4-for-4 day for Bleday, who also doubled, singled twice and scored three times.

Tyler Locklear chipped in with two hits for Arizona, which had lost six in a row after Friday's series-opening defeat.

--Field Level Media