Eugenio Suárez Explodes as D-backs Find Redemption vs Cubs

The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Chicago Cubs on Friday night by a score of 8-1. Arizona's offense and pitching were both excellent.

Following a night of struggle for ace Zac Gallen, right-hander Merrill Kelly was mostly sharp in his first outing of 2025. He worked around a leadoff walk for a scoreless first inning.

In the second inning, it appeared that Arizona's defensive miscues were on a path to produce similar results to Opening Day, as a low throw by Geraldo Perdomo and a failed scoop by Josh Naylor set up the pesky Pete Crow-Armstrong for an RBI double and a 1-0 Cubs lead.

Still, Kelly remained in control of the game. Though he did walk four batters and only struck out one, he maintained a grip on the contest, including picking off Crow-Armstrong at first base in the fourth. Kelly lasted 5.1 innings, throwing 85 pitches (51 for strikes), and allowing only three hits and the single run, charged to his line, but arguably not his runner.

But it was Arizona's offense that shone bright, particularly slugging third baseman Eugenio Suárez. Suárez homered in Thursday's contest and kept that trend going with an exceptional night at the plate on Friday.

Following a Pavin Smith single, Suárez delivered a homer to the same left-field spot off Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon, giving Arizona a 2-1 lead. But he wasn't done there.

In his very next at-bat, Suárez got a similar pitch and produced the exact same result. With Smith at second, he crushed his third homer in two games to extend the lead to 4-1. He just missed a third in his third at-bat, flying out just a few feet short of the wall.

Suárez is in elite company with those homers. According to MLB Network's Sarah Langs, Suárez's three blasts tie the legendary Luis Gonzalez as the only players in franchise history to deliver three longballs in the first two games of the season.

Suárez finished his night 2-for-4 with two homers and four RBI. He also hustled up the line on a sharply hit ground ball to avoid an inning-ending double play, which led to another run in the seventh. This came after he was hit by a pitch and nearly hit by two more up-and-in fastballs in Friday's contest.

“Obviously, it feels great, having a start like this. And, like I always say, I just want to keep going," Suárez told reporters postgame. "Take whatever the baseball gives to me. And today, obviously, is a good day for the team, for me. And that's all that matters, win games and have good games like this.

“Every year is different. I just try to be Eugenio Suárez. I don't try to be different. I work harder.I prepare myself for the game. And I take everything that the game gives to me.”

"I think he's got a real interesting fire burning in his belly," manager Torey Lovullo said postgame.

"You don't know it. He's got a real ease to his game. But he's one of those guys I think when you get mad, he probably just will really find a way to beat you somehow, some way, and he still won't show it. ... I think answering the bell the way Geno did today, that's how you get people back [for Friday's hit-by-pitch]," Lovullo said.

It was an exceptional night across the board for Arizona's offense as they out-hit the Cubs 14-3. Ketel Marte finished 2-for-5 with a double for the second straight night. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored.

Pavin Smith, getting the start at DH against a right-hander, went 3-for-4 with an RBI and was brought home twice by Suárez.

Even Alek Thomas, on the heels of a poor Spring Training at the plate, sharply hit three balls, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored. That's an encouraging sign for the former Gold Glove finalist.

Corbin Carroll was 0-for-4, but not for lack of quality contact as he flew out sharply twice, hitting one 98.3 MPH and another nearly 116 MPH straight at Kyle Tucker.

Arizona's bullpen took the lead afforded to them and protected it for 4.2 innings. Ryan Thompson finished the sixth, getting two outs on three pitches. Left-hander Joe Mantiply tossed a scoreless seventh with a strikeout on 10 pitches.

But it was right-hander Shelby Miller, whose story of redemption was a theme throughout Spring, that delivered the highlight performance out of the bullpen. Miller struck out the side in the eighth and worked a stress-free ninth to close the game.

Miller needed only 17 pitches to go two innings, and threw 16 strikes without allowing a walk or base hit.

"Pretty clean day. It was a nice bounce-back after yesterday, where things were a little bit sloppy. A couple of things we've got to work on. We'll continue tightening all that up and get us as close to being satisfactory as possible. ... You come out after a tough day yesterday, and we really responded.

The Diamondbacks will face the Cubs again on Saturday at Chase Field, with first pitch scheduled for 5:10 p.m.