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D-Backs out-muscle Pirates

PHOENIX – Andy Marte hit a two-run home run and Aaron Hill added a solo shot in the sixth inning to power the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 7-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates Thursday night.

Nick Ahmed hit the Diamondbacks’ third home run, an eighth-inning solo shot that was the first of his major-league career.

Marte, called up from Triple-A Reno earlier on in the day to help fill the roster spots vacated by the trades of Gerardo Parra and Martin Prado, took Jeff Locke (2-3) deep into the left-field seats to break a 3-3 tie. Hill followed one out later with his ninth home run of the season.

Reliever Oliver Perez (2-1) earned the win by getting the last two outs in the sixth.

The Pirates took the lead in the second inning when Russell Martin drove in two with a double off the left field wall, but Arizona starter Josh Collmenter was able to escape further damage.

Collmenter played a part in allowing the Diamondbacks to tie the score after Locke (2-3) no-hit them for the first three innings of the game. With the bases loaded and two out, Collmenter hit a bouncer to third baseman Pedro Alvarez, who charged the ball, scooped it and pumped once before throwing to first base.

The throw was low, but first baseman Ike Davis mishandled the catch for an error that allowed Mark Trumbo and Jordan Pacheco to score and tie the game at 2.

Pacheco’s two-out single in the fifth drove in Paul Goldschmidt to give Arizona a lead. But the Pirates drew even thanks to solo home run onto the pool deck in right field from Neil Walker. The shot tied Walker’s season high of 16 set last season.

The homer finished Collmenter and he slammed his cap on the dugout bench in disgust before heading down the tunnel toward the clubhouse. Collmenter lasted 5 1-3 innings and gave up three runs on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

Andrew McCutchen drove in Gregory Polanco with a single in the seventh, but the Pirates couldn’t rally against Arizona relievers Brad Ziegler and Addison Reed. Reed earned his 27th save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.

ON DECK:

Diamondbacks: Left-hander Vidal Nuno (0-2) starts the second game of the four-game series Friday. Nuno will be making his fifth start of the season and has a 3.47 earned-run average. It will be his second career start against Pittsburgh.

Pirates: Right-hander Edinson Volquez (8-7) makes his 21st start of the season. He is 3-0 in his last four road starts with a 2.05 ERA and has won four of his last five decisions.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: Shortstop Chris Owings is getting close to swinging a bat and is taking ground balls. Manager Kirk Gibson said. Owings has been on the disabled list since June 29 with a left shoulder strain.

Pirates: OF Starling Marte was eligible to come off the seven-day concussion disabled list on Wednesday but has not been activated.

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