Forget the anomaly that was Friday's low-scoring game.
In May M.J. Stewart Youth Jersey , the Arizona Diamondbacks averaged 2.9 runs per game, fewest in the major leagues. So far in June, however, they are averaging 6.5 runs, including 37 in five games against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Diamondbacks (42-33) and Pirates (36-39) play the third game of a four-game series Saturday at PNC Park in Pittsburgh after Arizona's 2-1, 13-inning win Friday.
The Diamondbacks this month have 178 hits, nine triples, 81 walks and 32 homers.
A couple of players — leadoff batter Jon Jay and Paul Goldschmidt — seem to have sparked Arizona's offense.
Jay has multiple hits in seven of his 14 games since he was acquired by trade June 6 from Kansas City. He has reached base in all but one game and reached base twice in eight games. He has scored 16 runs with eight RBIs.
"He's come in and he's been unbelievable for us at the top of the lineup P.J. Hall Youth Jersey ," Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen told the Arizona Republic. "Almost every day he's getting on base a couple of times and he's just sparking us in so many different ways. He's giving us professional at-bats. That's something that we weren't putting together consistently during that rut in May, which we've come around to doing now. It's all sort of adding back up together again."
Don't look for Jay to cough up any secrets.
"I'm just trying to go out there and be myself," he told MLB.com. "I just try to keep it simple. We've got a great core group of guys here. I'm just trying to be a complement to the group we have already."
Goldschmidt is batting .475 with six doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 20 RBIs in his past 16 games.
The Diamondbacks got caught in a pitchers' duel Friday but won their second straight game and third in their past four. They have won six of seven on the road.
Pittsburgh has lost three straight and four of five.
On Saturday, Pittsburgh right-hander Joe Musgrove (2-2, 3.68 ERA) is scheduled to face Diamondbacks righty Zack Greinke (6-5, 3.90).
Musgrove will be making is sixth start since beginning the season on the disabled list. He was dynamic out of the gate but was flat in his most recent outing Mike McGlinchey Jersey , an 8-6 loss Sunday against Cincinnati when he gave up six runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings, with six strikeouts and one walk.
"I felt OK. That's my first day game in a while. Just trying to get my body alert," Musgrove said. "It was hot out there. I felt drained. But that's something I'm aware of now, and that's something I'll try to prepare for."
Saturday's game also is a day game, although with a late-afternoon start.
"I don't feel like I'm lost right now. I still feel really good," Musgrove said."
Musgrove is 0-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two career appearances, including one start, against Arizona. That start was June 11 when the first five of his six-plus innings were scoreless in what became a no-decision. He ended up allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits in six innings.
Greinke has won three of his past four starts. He is 7-4 with a 4.91 ERA in 12 career starts against Pittsburgh. In his one start against the Pirates this season Harold Landry Jersey , Greinke gave up five runs on five hits and four walks over 4 2/3 innings. He took the loss in that June 13 game, which ended with a 5-4 Pirates victory.
鈥?Todd Gurley caught the pass from Jared Goff, turned up field and once again found no resistance in his sprint to the end zone.After 2陆 quarters and four touchdowns scored, Gurley was no longer needed. The Los Angeles Rams had made their statement."This was just one of those wins where everything was clicking for us. Everybody was doing their job. Everybody was out there competing and we didn't want to let up," Gurley said."These guys been kicking our ass for the last 10, 15 years so you've got to enjoy it and you've got to take advantage of a situation like this."Led by Gurley's 152 yards rushing and four total touchdowns, the Rams moved to the cusp of their first division title since 2003 with a 42-7 thumping of the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.What was supposed to be a matchup to determine first place in the NFC West turned into the Rams (10-4) embarrassing Seattle into the worst loss of Pete Carroll's eight seasons.It was one-sided. It was dominant. And whether the Rams wanted to admit it or not, it was a statement victory."Did we expect a game like this? Probably not
Joe Mixon Jersey ," Rams DE Robert Quinn said. "But we did expect to play a great game. We played pretty great."The Rams don't have the division wrapped up, but have a two-game lead with two weeks to play. A win against either Tennessee or San Francisco is enough for their first division title in 14 years.Perhaps bigger than the division title was the statement made by the Rams. They didn't just win in Seattle 鈥?a place losing its aura as the toughest to play in the league. They completely dominated the Seahawks, making a Carroll-coached team look rarely overmatched in a big game.Seattle (8-6) is barely alive for the postseason, but it will likely need some help."No, there is nothing to be happy about. That was a really dismal performance by us," Carroll said.While the Seahawks don't look playoff ready, the Rams look playoff scary, dominating the line of scrimmage and taking advantage of their first-half opportunities.The Rams scored on six of seven first-half drives thanks largely to great field position. Six of the Rams seven possessions in the first half started at midfield or inside Seattle territory and they scored on all six.The surge included a 21-point scoring blitz in the second quarter capped by a 57-yard TD run by Gurley on third-and-20 with less than a minute remaining in the first half to take a 34-0 lead at the break.Gurley had 144 yards rushing in the first half
Cheap Christian Kirk Jersey , twice scoring from the 1. He added a 14-yard TD reception midway through the third quarter for a 40-0 Rams lead and spent the rest of his day watching. The 152 yards rushing were the second-best of his career.Goff didn't need to do much, completing 14 of 21 for 120 yards and two TDs. He threw a 1-yard TD to Robert Woods in the second quarter along with his TD to Gurley. The only miscue for the Rams was a questionable fourth-and-1 decision at the Seattle 24 where the Rams called a play-action pass that was tipped and intercepted. It was the one highlight of the first half for Seattle."I think our guys understood that this was a big opportunity to try to come in here and take a two-game lead in our division with two left," Rams coach Sean McVay said.WILSON'S DAYSeattle avoided the shutout on Russell Wilson's 26-yard TD pass to Luke Willson late in the third quarter. But it was one of Wilson's uglier performances. He missed key throws early when Seattle's offense couldn't get started. He threw a backward pass for a 23-yard loss in the second quarter when Seattle finally got to midfield. He fumbled trying to spin out of a sack. And he cost Seattle a safety being flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone in the fourth quarter.Wilson was 14 of 30 for 142 yards and rushed for 39 yards. He was sacked seven times.SPECIAL IMPACTRams punt returner Pharoh Cooper had a big first half that helped Los Angeles build its huge lead. Cooper set up the Rams first touchdown with a 53-yard punt return to the Seattle 1 in the first quarter. He later had a 26-yard return to set up another short field for the Rams that was capped by the second of Gurley's 1-yard TDs."All week we were expecting some big returns. Last week they had a few miscues on their punt team and we felt we could attack in that area," Cooper said.HALFTIME THUMPINGThe 34-0 halftime deficit was the largest for Seattle since the 2010 season 鈥?the first under Carroll 鈥?when it trailed the New York Giants 35-0 at halftime on the way to a 41-7 loss.It was the largest halftime lead in a road game for the Rams in franchise history.UP NEXTRams: Los Angeles is at Tennessee next Sunday.Seahawks: Seattle is at Dallas next Sunday..