D-backs power to 11th straight win over LA

LOS ANGELES -- Nothing, it seems, can slow down the D-backs. Even as the injuries pile up -- Steven Souza Jr., Jake Lamb and now Taijuan Walker -- so do the wins, with the latest coming Saturday night when they beat the Dodgers, 9-1, at Dodger Stadium.
T.J. McFarland (1-0) came up big with four scoreless innings in relief of Walker, who left after two innings because of right forearm tightness.
Paul Goldschmidt hit a homer and A.J. Pollock added two of his own to power the offense.

McFarland, who has been used sparingly this season, came on to start the third and allowed just one hit while striking out one.
"For him to throw innings like that, get some big outs in the middle of the game, was huge," D-backs catcher Alex Avila said.
It was the D-backs' 11th regular-season victory in a row over the Dodgers, the team that swept them in the 2017 National League Division Series. The 11 losses in a row to an opponent are the most for the Dodgers vs. one team since moving to Los Angeles, and the streak is tied for the fourth-longest in franchise history.
"I know the Dodgers are an incredible franchise and they're on a great run," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. "This is a powerful organization. The fact that we're doing that means we're doing something very special. I'm very proud of that."

The victory also gave the D-backs their fifth straight series win to open the season and assured them a sixth win on their nine-game, three-city road trip.
Their 11 wins through 14 games is the best start in team history, with 11 of those games coming against NL West opponents.
"You can see things -- I don't like the terms that things are falling their way or the ball is bouncing in their direction -- but you can definitely relate the way they're playing right now to the way we were playing last year," said Dodgers starter Rich Hill. "Those are the comparisons I do see."

Souza, who was one of the team's marquee offseason pickups, has been on the disabled list since injuring his right pectoral muscle during Spring Training. Lamb has been out for 10 games.
And yet the wins keep coming.
"You have to have a next-man-up attitude," Avila said. "We've been without Souza and Jake for a long time, this whole road trip for the most part and Souza the whole year. It's a matter of just the next guy stepping up and not doing more than what you're capable of, just doing your job, making sure you're taking care of that. The rest takes care of itself. Hopefully, Taijuan will be fine. At the same time, as that next guy or if your name is called upon, it's just a matter of doing your job."
• Walker not concerned by forearm tightness
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
That escalated quickly: Hill seemed to be on his way to completing three scoreless innings before he lost command and issued a four-pitch walk to David Peralta with two outs. That would prove costly because Ketel Marte followed with an RBI double and then Goldschmidt hit his two-run homer and suddenly the D-backs led, 3-1.

SOUND SMART
Per Statcast™, Goldschmidt's third-inning homer came off the bat at 112.9 mph. It was the hardest-hit homer by Goldschmidt that Statcast™ has tracked (since 2015). His previous best was 112.4 mph. It was also hardest-hit homer that Hill has allowed. The previous high was 108.5 mph by J.D. Martinez on Sept. 4, 2017, while he was with the D-backs.

MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY
Marrero was credited with probably the most disappointing and embarrassing two-run single of his life in the fourth inning when his long fly carried over the fence in left-center. Avila, running at first base, stopped to see if the ball would be caught, but Marrero kept running and veered alongside of Avila as the ball went out. First-base umpire Tripp Gibson III immediately ruled Marrero safe, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts challenged the call, and it was overturned on review. Marrero was called out and two runs scored on the single. More >>

HE SAID IT
"He told me in his book he's going to count it as a home run but he's going to have an asterisk next to it." -- Lovullo, on Marrero
UP NEXT
The D-backs will close out a three-game series with the Dodgers and wrap up a nine-game road trip Sunday afternoon on Jackie Robinson Day at Dodger Stadium. Zack Godley will get the start for the D-backs, his second start of the year against Clayton Kershaw. Godley won the matchup on April 3, when he allowed just one run over seven innings in a 6-1 Arizona victory.