Pavin Smith was nearly unstoppable on Sunday.
The Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder led them to a dominant 12-6 victory over the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Sunday night. Smith had three home runs in his five at-bats on the night, accounting for eight RBIs in the six-run win.
Smith led the way for the Diamondbacks in the second inning when he launched a three-run homer off the right-field foul pole. That put Arizona up 3-0 almost from the start.
Then, in the third inning, after Eugenio Suarez had hit an RBI single and loaded the bases, Smith hit a grand slam to left field. Just like that, the Diamondbacks were up 8-0 and Smith had been credited with seven of their eight runs.
Smith didn’t slow down at all, either. He then hit his longest home run of the night in the fifth inning, driving his third homer just under 400 feet into right field to score another run for the Diamondbacks.
Smith’s big night slowed significantly after that. He struck out in his fourth at-bat in the seventh inning and walked in the ninth. The Diamondbacks also added a run in the seventh and eighth innings, after Luis Guillorme hit a sacrifice fly and then Jake McCarthy hit an RBI single. Suarez also hit a solo homer in the ninth inning, leading them to a seven-run lead and, ultimately, the win.
Suarez also had a big night. He had four hits and four runs in his five at-bats, and his ninth-inning homer was his 26th of the season.
Smith had hit just four home runs on the season before Sunday night. He entered the game against the Astros with a .247 batting average and 18 RBIs on the year, his fifth with the franchise. He has now matched his home run total from the 2023 campaign, and is just four shy of matching the career high he set in 2021.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Diamondbacks, who now have an 80-64 record. They are now a half-game behind the San Diego Padres for second place in the NL West and the top NL wild-card spot. Both the Diamondbacks and Padres are clearly in the playoff race.
