Diamondbacks 7 - 0 Rays
Final
  for this game

D'backs crush surging Rays

Aug 1, 2013 - 5:46 AM St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Wade Miley worked 6 1/3 scoreless innings as the Arizona Diamondbacks blanked the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-0, in the finale of a brief two-game interleague set at Tropicana Field.

Miley (8-8) gave up pair of hits, both of which came in the fourth inning, and five walks while fanning a season-high eight batters to win for the fourth time in five starts.

"He's been on a pretty good roll for us," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said of Miley.

Eric Chavez went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and three RBI and, Paul Goldschmidt hit a solo homer and scored three times. Cody Ross added three hits and a pair of RBI for the D-Backs, who had dropped three straight entering the contest.

Earlier on Wednesday, Arizona acquired left-handed reliever Joe Thatcher and minor league pitcher Matt Stiles in exchange for starter Ian Kennedy.

After winning 15 games a season ago, Kennedy has been largely ineffective this year, posting a 3-8 mark to go along with a 5.23 ERA. He also has a 1.419 WHIP, the worst of his career for a full season.

Thatcher, meanwhile, has appeared in 50 games for the Padres and is 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA. Left-handed hitters have batted just .215 against him.

The 31-year-old will be expected to bolster an Arizona bullpen that has blown 19 saves this season.

Ben Zobrist went 2-for-4 for the Rays, who lost for just the fifth time in their last 28 games.

Jeremy Hellickson (10-4) was tagged for four runs on seven hits and two walks over 4 1/3 innings to absorb his first loss since June 13.

"(Hellickson) wasn't as sharp as he had been," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

Arizona pushed a pair of runs across in the first and third innings to take an early 4-0 lead.

With the bases loaded and two down in the first, Ross singled to left to score Martin Prado and Goldschmidt.

In the third, Goldschmidt worked a one-out walk and Chavez followed with a line-drive home run just inside the foul pole in right field to put Arizona up by four.

The D-Backs added one run in each of the final three innings to account for the final margin.

Prado and Goldschmidt hit back-to-back singles to open the seventh and Chavez followed with a base hit to push Prado across.

A.J. Pollock opened the eighth with a base hit, stole second and third base then scored on Gerardo Parra's infield single.

Goldschmidt's solo shot in the ninth made it 7-0.

Game Notes

Just 65 of Miley's 116 pitches went for strikes ... Miley's five walks were two shy of a season high ... Wil Myers extended his hitting streak to 12 games ... Tampa Bay used six pitchers ... Hellickson had won seven straight decisions entering the contest ... Hellickson allowed more than three runs for the first time since June 13.






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