Pinch hitter Corbin Carroll lined a two-run homer to cap a five-run bottom of the ninth inning as the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied for an improbable 9-8 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series at Phoenix.
With Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on first, Carroll ripped an 0-1 splitter from closer Kyle Finnegan over the fence in right for Arizona’s 17th win in its past 25 games.
Ketel Marte went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs for the Diamondbacks, who trailed 6-0 after 1 1/2 innings. Geraldo Perdomo had two hits and two RBIs, Kevin Newman had two hits and one RBI and Gurriel had two hits and two runs for Arizona.
Alex Call slugged a three-run homer during a five-run first inning for Washington. Call was one of six Nationals with two hits. Harold Ramirez and Keibert Ruiz both had two hits and two RBIs.
Ildemaro Vargas, Juan Yepez and Jacob Young also had two hits for the Nationals.
Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker was removed before the top of the fourth due to left oblique tightness. Manager Torey Lovullo said after the game that his concern for the injury was “not minimal” as Walker needed a further examination and imaging.
Arizona torched Finnegan (2-5) for all five runs in the ninth.
Alek Thomas led off with a triple and scored on Perdomo’s single. Marte followed by lining a two-run homer to right, his 24th blast of the season.
One out later, Gurriel ripped a single to center before Carroll came off the bench and won it with the scorching liner for his eighth blast of the season.
Joe Mantiply (2-5) pitched a scoreless top of the ninth for the Diamondbacks.
Arizona’s Jordan Montgomery was hammered for six runs and nine hits over four innings. He walked three and struck out one.
Washington starter Mitchell Parker allowed two runs and four hits over five innings. He struck out three and walked two.
Yepez singled with one out in the first, Ramirez walked and James Wood delivered a run-scoring single. Ruiz followed with an RBI double to make it 2-0.
Call then swatted a first-pitch curveball over the fence in left. It was his first homer of the season.
Ramirez stroked an RBI single in the second to make it 6-0.
Arizona got on the scoreboard in the fourth on Newman’s RBI double. Marte added an RBI single in the fifth.
Washington received a two-out RBI double from Ramirez and a run-scoring single from Ruiz in the sixth to take an 8-2 advantage.
Perdomo had an RBI single in the seventh and pinch hitter Joc Pederson had a run-scoring single in the eighth for Arizona.