Eugenio Suárez's third grand slam seals win for Diamondbacks

(AFP) Venezuela’s Eugenio Suárez hit another spectacular four-run homer, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners in Major League Baseball on Wednesday.

Colombian Donovan Solano put the Mariners ahead 2-0 with a home run in the fifth inning during the third and final game of the series held in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Diamondbacks, who won the first two games, sealed the series sweep thanks to Suárez’s explosive performance in the sixth inning.

The Puerto Ordaz slugger came to the plate with the bases loaded and smashed a 125-yard home run, driving in Corbin Carroll, Josh Naylor, and Dominican Ketel Marte.

Suárez’s hit—his third grand slam of the season—brought the 25,969 spectators at Chase Field to their feet and helped him climb the ranks among the great Venezuelan sluggers in the majors.

With his 295th home run, Suárez moved past Magglio Ordóñez into third place, trailing only Andrés Galarraga (399) and Miguel Cabrera (511). 

In the same inning, American Pavin Smith completed the home team’s comeback with another home run.

Venezuelan Eduardo Rodríguez pitched 6.1 innings for Arizona, allowing six hits and two runs while striking out five batters.

Another Venezuelan star, Ronald Acuña Jr., hit a crucial home run in the Atlanta Braves’ 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Acuña Jr.’s 127-yard missile drove in Nick Allen and gave the Braves an insurmountable 5-1 lead in the fourth inning.

Acuña Jr., who collected three hits in total, has been looking strong since making his season debut three weeks ago after recovering from a serious knee injury.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 5-2, powered by a three-run homer from Teoscar Hernández in the sixth inning.

The Dominican got the visitors going when the game was tied 1-1. Dodgers’ Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani recorded a hit, scored a run, and struck out twice.

The defending World Series champions secured a 2-1 series victory and will have a day off before hosting the San Francisco Giants on Friday.