Arizona Diamondbacks vs San Diego Padres Recap

Dan Haren pitched seven strong innings while Mark Reynolds and Stephen Drew hit two-run homers to lift the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 6-3 victory Monday over the visiting San Diego Padres.

An Opening Day capacity crowd of 49,192 at Chase Field watched Haren (1-0, 1.29 ERA) allow just one run on three hits. The 29-year-old right-hander struck out four and walked none, throwing 63 of his 92 pitches for strikes and facing just 24 batters in his seven innings of work.

“We scored six runs there in the first couple innings and I was able to just really attack the zone, throwing first-pitch strikes and going right at guys," Haren said afterward. "The only way they’re going to come back in games like that usually are a few walks and a big hit. I wasn’t going to walk anybody.”

A one-out double in the second inning by third baseman Chase Headley accounted for the Padres’ only base runner over the first six innings. Following Headley’s two-base hit, Haren retired the next 15 batters.

The Padres did not break through against Haren until the seventh, when Adrian Gonzalez doubled to left-center and Headley drove him in with a single up the middle.

By that time, the Diamondbacks had built a comfortable lead by scoring six runs (two earned) against San Diego starter and former Arizona teammate Jon Garland, who allowed five hits and two walks in four innings.

Miguel Montero put the Diamondbacks ahead to stay with a two-run single in the bottom of the first off Garland (0-1, 4.50). Both of the runs were unearned, thanks to an error earlier in the inning by San Diego shortstop Everth Cabrera.

Reynolds extended the D-backs’ advantage to 4-0 with his two-run homer over the left-field fence in the third.

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An inning later, Drew hit a long fly ball off the wall and beyond the reach of a leaping San Diego center fielder Tony Gwynn. As the ball caromed off the fence and bounced along the warning track toward left field, Drew circled the bases and scored easily to register the Diamondbacks’ first inside-the-park homer since Kelly Stinnett hit one against the Padres at San Diego on Aug. 29, 2005.

Haren, who had reached base on a throwing error by Headley, scored ahead of Drew on the fourth-inning home run.

The Padres pulled to within 6-3 with two outs in the top of the ninth when Gonzalez and Kyle Blanks hit consecutive solo homers off D-backs reliever Bob Howry.

By: Tom Kessler
MLBcenter.com Arizona Diamondbacks correspondent

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