Diamondbacks 11, Astros 3
Zach Duke hit a three-run homer and pitched seven shutout innings in his injury-delayed Arizona debut to lead the Diamondbacks to an 11-3 victory over the host Houston Astros on Saturday.
Duke (1-0) allowed just three hits and one walk as Arizona won its fifth straight game and 11th in its last 12.
Duke’s first career homer capped a four-run third inning that staked the Diamondbacks to a 6-0 lead.
Miguel Montero doubled home a run earlier in the frame to give Arizona a three-run advantage. Duke came to the plate with two on and two out and hit an 0-2 pitch from Bud Norris (2-4) over the left-field fence.
Duke struck out four in his initial outing for the Diamondbacks. The lefthander, who was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the offseason, suffered a broken pitching hand in spring training when struck by a line drive.
Gerardo Parra had three RBIs for the Diamondbacks. Stephen Drew was 4-for-5 and Montero was 3-for-5 as Arizona racked up 13 hits.
Houston scored three ninth-inning runs off reliever Zach Kroenke.
Norris allowed six runs – two earned – and seven hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked two.
Arizona added three runs in the eighth on Montero’s run-scoring double and Parra’s two-run homer and two in the ninth on Drew’s run-scoring single and a sacrifice fly by Chris Young.