Diamondbacks, Ray avoid sweep with 9-0 win over Cubs

PHOENIX (AP) – Christian Walker and Chris Owings homered off Cole Hamels, and Robbie Ray held the Chicago Cubs to one hit over six innings in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 9-0 win over the Cubs on Wednesday night.

Walker and Owings, mainly used off the Arizona bench, were part of a Diamondbacks lineup that featured only two regulars in the field players – Nick Ahmed and Ketel Marte. The group did most of its damage against Hamels (9-10), who had yet to lose a start since joining the Cubs via trade from Texas on July 27.

Ray (6-2) struck out eight and walked four. Walker and Owings drove in three runs each.

Jeff Mathis added a two-run home run off Cubs reliever Allen Webster, who’d been called up from Triple-A Iowa earlier in the day.

The Cubs’ lead in the NL Central dropped to 2 1/2 games over Milwaukee, which beat Cincinnati earlier Wednesday.

Arizona avoided a series sweep put an end to a four-game losing streak and gained a game on St. Louis for the second wild card, although they still trail the Cardinals by five games.

The Diamondbacks tagged Hamels for four runs and five hits in the first inning. Walker’s homer, his third of the season, sailed onto the overhang in left-center field with Ildemaro Vargas and Marte on base.

Later in the inning, Owings blooped a single to shallow right field, and Patrick Kivlehan scored after he’d tripled to make it 4-0.

Kivlehan became the second Diamondback this season to triple multiple times in a game when he did it again in the sixth inning. He scored on Ahmed’s single, and Ahmed scored on Owings’ fourth home run of the year.

Mathis went deep to left in the eighth for his first home run of the season.

Hamels allowed seven runs and nine hits, tying the most earned runs he’s given up in a start this season.

The Cubs completed a stretch of 30 scheduled games in 30 days with 18 wins.

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