BOB BAUM
AP Sports Writer
PHOENIX (AP) — Two home runs by Anthony Rizzo weren’t quite enough for the Chicago Cubs.
Rizzo had his second multi-homer game of the season and sixth of his career in the Cubs’ 5-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.
Chicago led 3-0 but gave up two runs in the fifth and two in the sixth, then couldn’t come through with the tying run on third and one out in the ninth.
“Rizz had an All-Star night, two homers,” Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. “We didn’t get a whole lot more after that, but even in the end we had a chance.”
Rizzo moved into a tie with Giancarlo Stanton for the NL lead in homers with 22. He’s just one shy for his total for all of last season.
“That is cool,” he said. ” … You want to keep on having good at-bats, not trying to hit home runs, just trying to hit the ball hard. “
Rizzo was the last player voted by fans onto the NL squad at the All-Star game. He said playing baseball through the break “definitely helped.”
“I hit two days, got in the game, a high-intensity at-bat,” he said. “Obviously the first time doing, that so I definitely had nerves. Then come out here and try to slow the game down as much as I can. “
Paul Goldschmidt homered and Didi Gregorius had two RBI singles for the Diamondbacks.
Eury De La Rosa (1-0) gave up a run in one inning and got the win. Brian Schlitter (2-3) allowed a run in two-thirds of an inning for the loss.
Prado was thrown out when he said something as he ran past Blaser after grounding out in the eighth. He had to be restrained by teammates after he was tossed.
“It’s part of the game. There’s a lot of emotions,” Prado said. “I think I just overreacted, but the most important thing is we won the game. Guys were messing with me and said ‘You have to get ejected every day.'”
Catcher Miguel Montero’s throwing error put a runner on third with one out in the ninth but Addison Reed got out of it, getting Ryan Sweeney to pop out and fanning Welington Castillo for his 22nd save in 27 chances.
The Diamondbacks’ Trevor Cahill, in his first start since April 13, allowed three runs on four hits in five innings.
The left-handed batting Gregorius, 2-for-20 against lefties this season to that point, singled off left-hander Zac Rosscup to bring home what proved to be the deciding run in Arizona’s three-run sixth.
“The at-bat of the game,” Prado said.
Rizzo hit a two-run homer off Cahill far over the swimming pool area in right field in Chicago’s three-run fourth. He added a booming solo shot to center off De La Rosa in the sixth.
Ender Enciarte, just in the game as a defensive replacement in center, ran down Rizzo’s shot to deep left-center in the eighth. Gibson said David Peralta, shifted from center to left, probably wouldn’t have had the speed to get to the ball.
Goldschmidt’s 17th home run was an opposite-field solo shot that barely cleared the fence in right and ended the night for Cubs starter Edwin Jackson.
Jackson allowed three runs on seven hits in 5 1-3 innings.
“It was a cool game,” he said, “but at the end of the day they had it in the fifth inning. They strung together four hits in a row. A couple of balls were located, a couple not.”
Notes: Arismendy Alcantara, in his sixth game since being recalled from Triple-A Iowa, stole second twice. … In the second game of the series Saturday night, the Cubs send Travis Wood (7-8, 4.96 ERA) to the mound against the Diamondbacks’ Wade Miley (5-6, 4.18).
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