Associated Press
Pollock's Big Blast Lifts Diamondbacks
It was the first game-ending homer of Pollock's career.
Cliff Pennington was hit by a pitch and pinch-hitter Eric Chavez hit into a fielder's choice ahead of Pollock's soaring homer to center off Kevin Quackenbush (0-1).
Yonder Alonso homered and Everth Cabrera launched a three-run shot off Arizona starter Brandon McCarthy in the fifth inning to give San Diego a 4-2 lead.
Martin Prado doubled in a run and singled for the Diamondbacks, just back from a 2-4 road trip and opening a seven-game home stand.
Brad Ziegler (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings to get the win.
The Diamondbacks went up 2-0 in the second when Prado singled softly up the middle and Cody Ross reached on a bloop hit to short right. With two outs, Pennington singled off third baseman Chase Headley's glove to bring in one run, and another scored when center fielder Alexi Amarista didn't pick up the ball cleanly.
McCarthy blanked the Padres through four, but just after the Chase Field roof opened Alonso hit the first pitch of the fifth inning into the swimming pool area in right. After two outs, Amarista and Tyson Ross singled, and Cabrera homered just inside the right field foul pole.
Ross, San Diego's starter, couldn't hold the lead, facing five batters without an out in Arizona's three-run sixth. Pollock singled, then Gerardo Parra reached on a bunt. Paul Goldschmidt singled in a run, Miguel Montero singled home another and Prado barely missed a home run with a double into the cranny next to the Arizona bullpen, putting the Diamondbacks ahead 5-4 and ending Ross' night.
The lead didn't last long. McCarthy retired the first two in the seventh but was yanked after pinch-hitter Tommy Medica doubled. Lefty Joe Thatcher came on and allowed an RBI double to Cabrera and it was 5-5.
Each manager challenged a call and both were rejected. In the fourth, Seth Smith tried to stretch a double to a triple and was called out on an extremely close play. Padres manager Bud Black challenged but the call was upheld.
In the eighth, Arizona's Kirk Gibson challenged a safe call on an attempted pickoff of Headley, and that call was upheld.
With two outs in the eighth Jedd Gyorko singled and was easily thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.
Game notes
The Diamondbacks said day-of-game ticket sales totaled 5,563, the largest at Chase since August 2008. ... In the second game of the series Tuesday, San Diego sends Eric Stults (2-5, 4.97 ERA) to the mound, while Arizona goes with Wade Miley (3-5, 4.85). ... McCarthy leads the Diamondbacks in homers allowed (11). ... The Padres opened a six-game road trip with their first game at Arizona.
Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press
Game Information
| Stadium | Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ |
| Attendance | 35,580 (73.2% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 2:59 |
| Weather | 85 degrees, partly cloudy |
| Wind | 8 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Paul Nauert, First Base - Eric Cooper, Second Base - Sean Barber, Third Base - Chris Guccione |
Research Notes
Fifty-five percent of Tyson Ross'
pitches this season have been in the lower third of the strike zone or
below, the seventh-highest percentage among qualified pitchers. Since
2009, Aaron Hill is hitting .194 and has only 14 of his 111 home runs over that time against such pitches.
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