CHICAGO — A pitchers’ duel turned into a slugfest in the late innings at Wrigley Field, where the Chicago Cubs bashed their way to a 13-11 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in a game that saw a combined 21 runs scored in the seventh and eighth innings.
The Cubs led, 2-1, when play entered the bottom of the seventh inning on Friday, April 18. Over the next three half-innings, the teams combined for 20 hits and six homers, putting each team’s bullpen through the wringer.
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Both teams staged comebacks.
The Diamondbacks were down, 7-1, before they rallied to take the lead with a 10-run top of the eighth. Eugenio Suarez’s grand slam was among eight hits the Diamondbacks collected in the inning.
Trailing 11-7, the Cubs, who scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh, exploded for another six runs in the eighth, getting a three-run homer from Carson Kelly — his second of the game — followed by back-to-back blasts from Kyle Tucker (two-run homer) and Seiya Suzuki (solo shot) to make it 13-11.
The Diamondbacks did not use any of their top relief arms, apparently staying away from them due to workload. Right-hander Ryne Nelson (five runs), right-hander Bryce Jarvis (three runs) and left-hander Joe Mantiply (three runs) were torched in outings in which they recorded only two outs apiece.
Carson Kelly homers vs. former team
CHICAGO — Carson Kelly’s two-run homer against his former team has given the Chicago Cubs an early lead over the Diamondbacks at a windy Wrigley Field.
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The Cubs led, 2-1, as play entered the bottom of the sixth inning.
Kelly’s homer came on a 2-2 cutter from Diamondbacks right-hander Corbin Burnes. It was the fifth homer of the year already for Kelly, who played for the Diamondbacks from 2019-23.
Burnes has given up five hits with no walks and two strikeouts on 89 pitches.
The Diamondbacks got a run-scoring single from Corbin Carroll in the top of the fifth. They threatened to add more but left the bases loaded when Josh Naylor bounced out to second to end the inning.
Coming up
Saturday, April 19: At Chicago, 11:20 a.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (1-2, 4.64) vs. Cubs RHP Ben Brown (2-1, 5.09)
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Sunday, April 20: At Chicago, 11:20 a.m., Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (3-1, 5.57) vs. Cubs RHP Jameson Taillon (1-1, 5.40).
Monday, April 21: Off
Tuesday, April 22: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (3-1, 3.04) vs. Rays TBA.
About the Cubs
The Diamondbacks opened the regular season against the Cubs in Phoenix, splitting the series 2-2. The final game of that series on March 30 saw the Diamondbacks rally from a 6-2 deficit with eight runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on their way to a 10-6 win. Chicago, 2-4 after that Diamondbacks series, is 10-5 since then and holds down first place in the NL Central with a Major League-leading 124 runs scored. … Former Diamondbacks catcher Carson Kelly has a platoon role with Miguel Amaya, and the two have provided plenty of offense. Kelly is batting .407 with a 1.538 OPS in 27 at-bats this season. He has four home runs and hit for the cycle earlier this season against the Athletics in Sacramento. Amaya is batting .283 and the pair has combined for 25 runs batted in. The Cubs have speed on their roster, and prior to games on April 17, led the majors in stolen bases with 29. Pete Crow-Armstrong is the team leader with seven.
— Jose Romero
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks score 10 runs in the 8th but blow 4-run lead vs Cubs