Jordan Lawlar's bat finally stacked the night the Diamondbacks needed in a playoff-race August.
The Associated Press recap on ESPN reported that Lawlar hit a two-run homer and posted a career-high three RBI as Arizona beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-0 on Friday night at Chase Field. The AP said the 24-year-old center fielder also recorded the first three-hit game of his career. ESPN's headline framing matched that: a two-run homer and three RBI in a shutout.
The swings that built the lead
Lawlar's two-run shot to left in the second made it 3-0 and was his second home run in the majors, the AP wrote. CBS Sports' box had him 3-for-5 with two runs, three RBI, and the homer. The AP's career-high three-RBI total covers his production after the second-inning blast as Arizona kept adding on against Cincinnati.
Arizona piled up 15 hits with no errors in the AP account while Cincinnati managed four hits and no runs. Eduardo Rodriguez (13-4) worked 5 2/3 innings, allowed four hits and two walks, struck out four, and lowered his ERA to 2.61, the AP reported. Nick Lodolo (3-3) lasted 3 1/3 innings and allowed six runs on 10 hits and two walks.
Company in the hit column
The AP noted Geraldo Perdomo also had three hits, while Gabriel Moreno, Tim Tawa, and Corbin Carroll each had two. Arizona scored in each of the first four innings to build a 6-0 lead, per that recap, and the D-backs remained one game behind San Diego for the final National League wild-card spot after improving to 68-61 on ESPN's scoreboard.
Queen Creek's Player of the Day is Lawlar because the career markers landed together: first three-hit game, career-high three RBI, second big-league homer, all inside a 9-0 win that kept Arizona on the wild-card pace. Rodriguez's start is the pitching backbone; Lawlar is the position-player headline.
