Eovaldi helps Yankees avoid sweep in Arizona
PHOENIX -- Nathan Eovaldi allowed one hit in six innings and retired the final 18 hitters he faced to help the New York Yankees earn a 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Brett Gardner's first-inning, two-run homer gave the Yankees the lead for good. Jacoby Ellsbury had three of New York's 11 hits and drove in the third run with a sixth-inning single against Arizona starter Shelby Miller, who was in trouble from the start but wiggled out of several jams.
The Yankees (16-23) won on the road for just the second time in the past 11 attempts and the fifth time in 17 games away from the Bronx this season.
Mark Teixeira, among those criticized earlier in the day by Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner for the team's slow start, was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and saw his batting average drop to .203 for the season. He has gone 30 games without a home run.
The Diamondbacks (19-24) had 25 hits in the first two games of the series but missed a chance to sweep the Yankees for the first time in franchise history.
Chris Owings got Arizona within a run with a solo homer to lead off the eighth inning, his first of the season, but it was the last Diamondback hit.
Ellsbury is now 6-for-6 in his career against Miller with four RBIs. He was on base five times in the game and scored the final run on a wild pitch by Arizona reliever Evan Marshall in the ninth.
Aroldis Chapman pitched a scoreless ninth for his fourth save.
Jean Segura had the only Arizona hit over the first seven innings. He led off the first with a ground ball up the middle that caromed off the second base bag and rolled into short left center field for a double.
Segura went to third on a Phil Gosselin groundout and scored on a Paul Goldschmidt groundout -- and that was the last baserunner Arizona had against Eovaldi.
The Yankees right-hander touched 100 mph several times on the Chase Field radar gun and had 10 groundouts and five strikeouts among the 18 outs.
Eovaldi (4-2) came into the game with a 4.85 ERA but has now won his last four decisions. He won seven straight starts on the road last season, and he has now won nine of his last 11 road starts dating back to last June.
Miller (1-5) continues to struggle, particularly at Chase Field, where eight of the nine home runs he has allowed have come.
NOTES: Yankees DH Alex Rodriguez (hamstring strain) took part in some half-speed running drills Wednesday with manager Joe Girardi watching. Rodriguez is eligible to come off the disabled list Thursday, but Girardi said Saturday is probably the best-case scenario. ... Diamondbacks RHP Josh Collmenter, who hasn't pitched in the majors this season due to shoulder inflammation, allowed a run on four hits in 4 1/3 innings in his first rehab start with the Triple-A Reno Aces. He has one more rehab start scheduled. ... Yankees1B Mark Teixeira is three home runs shy of 400 in his career but had just three home runs in 128 at-bats and none in his last 29 games going into Wednesday. ... Arizona manager Chip Hale praised INF/OF Brandon Drury for staying focused at the plate (.474 over his past five games, .318 for the season) despite playing several different defensive positions. ... Diamondbacks RHP Brad Ziegler recorded his 36th consecutive save on Tuesday, tying Yankee great Mariano Rivera for the 16th-longest save streak in baseball history.