– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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BALTIMORE — Playing not too far from where he starred in college, Jake McCarthy made sure Mother’s Day was a special one for his family on Sunday. In turn, Zac Gallen saw to it that that a tough road trip would end up a winning one before heading back to the desert.
McCarthy hit a two-run home run as part of a six-run sixth inning for the Diamondbacks, who defeated the Baltimore Orioles 9-2 to salvage a win in the three-game set inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Gallen produced his second consecutive quality start, allowing just two runs in six innings as the Diamondbacks ended a six-game road swing 4-2 after sweeping a three-game set in Cincinnati before playing the defending AL East champions.
All of the Diamondbacks’ runs in the sixth inning, which they entered with a 3-1 lead, came with two outs. McCarthy, a University of Virginia alum who had a number of vocal supporters in the stands this weekend, smacked his first home run of the season off of Orioles starter Dean Kremer, a two-run shot that opened up a 5-1 lead.
Two walks and a single followed to load the bases before Ketel Marte hit a two-run single to right for a 7-1 lead. Pinch hitter Randal Grichuk followed with a double to deep left to score two more and break the game wide open.
The run support was more than enough for Gallen, who started the road trip by tossing six shutout innings at Great American Ball Park on Monday. Gallen was hitless through four innings on Sunday, as he struck out four and walked two.
“Typical Zac stuff. He felt really good,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “He was pushing to go back out there in the seventh, but the score is 9-2. I had a semi-rested bullpen that I could go to.”
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Sunday afternoon’s game, with photos taken by DC-area photographer Clifford Ray Williams. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 18 pictures in total.
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