Pavin Smith homered in each of his first three at-bats and the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks salvaged the finale of a three-game series with a 12-6 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday night.
Smith recorded his first career multi-homer game and collected a career-high eight RBIs to power Arizona (80-64) to the victory. He clubbed a three-run homer in the top of the second inning and added his third career grand slam in the third, with both blasts coming off Astros starter Justin Verlander (3-6).
Smith then homered off Houston reliever Kaleb Ort, leading off the fifth, and finished 3-for-4 with a walk.
In the second, Smith spotted the Diamondbacks a 3-0 lead when he followed Jake McCarthy and Eugenio Suarez singles with a 339-foot shot off the right field foul pole. When Verlander challenged Smith with a 2-2 fastball in the third, Smith launched that offering 372 feet to left-center for his grand slam.
Suarez had extended the Arizona lead to 4-0 with an RBI single ahead of the Smith grand slam.
Coming up
Monday: Off.
Tuesday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (11-6, 3.69) vs. Rangers RHP Nathan Eovaldi (11-7, 3.55).
Wednesday: At Chase Field, 12:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (4-0, 4.08) vs. Rangers LHP Cody Bradford (5-2, 3.05).
Thursday: Off.
Friday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (9-8, 4.42) vs. Brewers RHP Tobias Myers (7-5, 2.93).
