The Arizona Diamondbacks crushed the Chicago Cubs 10-2 at Salt River Fields. Arizona collected a spring-high 16 hits and 10 runs on the same day that Corbin Burnes and the back end of the Diamondbacks bullpen was pitching.
Arizona offense erupts for 10 runs
It was a balanced attack from the starting lineup, with all nine of them recording at least one hit. Of their 16 hits, eight went for extra bases.
In his return to the lineup, Randal Grichuk had two hits and the decisive home run. Grichuk was scratched on March 1 with a glute injury. In a 1-1 game, Grichuk got a fastball in the middle of the zone and crushed it to give the Diamondbacks a lead they would not relinquish.
Randal Grichuk - Arizona Diamondbacks (1)* pic.twitter.com/sA2Qzoj4Mn
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The offense continued to tack on, going 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Seven Diamondbacks recorded at least one RBI on the day. Kristian Robinson capped the scoring with a two-run in the eighth. For both Grichuk and Robinson, it was their first home run of the spring.
Corbin Burnes, back of the bullpen shut down the Cubs offense
Burnes struggled with efficiency and pitch count on the day, lasting just 2.1 innings in his third start of the spring. He allowed one run on two hits, a walk, and two strikeouts, both being Kyle Tucker. The pitch count climbed on Burnes and he was removed after one batter in the third. Taylor Rashi got the next two hitters to complete the third inning.
It was a different type of start compared to his last two outings, where he had sharp command. In those outings he needed just 45 pitches to get three innings. In this start, Burnes needed 47 pitches and had a lot of long at-bats.
After Rashi came the back end of the bullpen, who continued to put up zeros this spring. A.J. Puk, Kevin Ginkel, and Justin Martinez took care of business, the latter recording three consecutive strikeouts. The trio have been sharp all spring, with only one run allowed in nine combined innings. While the bullpen was putting up zeros, the offense pushed the game out of reach.
As the game turned into a laugher, Shelby Miller and Kyle Amendt closed it out with a scoreless inning each.
The Diamondbacks will be off tomorrow but they'll return Wednesday to take on the San Francisco Giants at Salt River Fields. Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt will make his second start of the spring and the Giants have yet to name a starter. The broadcast will be a radio webcast on dbacks.com. First pitch is set for 1:10 P.M. MST.