Lance Lynn (photo/MLB)
The Arizona Diamondbacks entered play on Monday night with a four-game win streak and winners in nine of their last 14 games to get a game above .500 for the first time since early April. They also closed a deficit in the NL West which was at ten games just one month ago down to five.
The point? The D-backs have been playing some really good baseball. They finished with 14 hits last night and had Lance Lynn on the ropes a few times, but with the help of double play pitches (four on the night), Lynn and the bullpen held Arizona in check for a 5-3 victory.
Arizona had their chances in the fourth and fifth innings. With the game tied 1-1 on homers by Wellington Castillo for the D-backs and Matt Carpenter for the Cardinals, twice Lynn loaded the bases with one out and each time, he got a ground ball double play to keep the game tied.
In the seventh, recent call ups Greg Garcia and Tommy Pham contributed to a three-run rally. Garcia singled to lead off the inning and Pham brought him home on a single. Yadier Molina padded the lead with a two-run single later in the inning.