PHOENIX (AP) -Justin Upton, Chris Young and Mark Reynolds homered, Micah Owings pounded the strike zone and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Mexican League’s Monterrey Sultanes 9-4 on Saturday night.
In his final spring tuneup, Owings allowed three runs and nine hits in five innings and didn’t walk a batter. Owings struck out two and threw 52 of his 71 pitches for strikes.
“They got some hits on him and went up the middle but we’d rather see them get on with a hit than by a walk,” Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said.
Owings came into the game with a 9.77 ERA, having allowed 22 hits and 13 walks in 15 2-3 innings.
“Spring training was a little up and down for me but now the real stuff is about to begin. I’m going to key in on this and take it as a positive going forward,” Owings said.
Upton tied the game 1-1 with his solo homer with one out in the second off Monterrey starter Mauricio Lara.
“When he squares one up it’s got a different sound to it,” Melvin said. “He’s a guy we don’t want to put too much pressure on but he’s got a high ceiling.”
One batter later, Young followed with a solo shot of his own. Chris Burke scored on a bases-loaded walk later in the inning for a 3-1 Arizona lead.
Monterrey cut the lead to 3-2 in the third but the Diamondbacks added four runs in the fourth, three coming on Reynolds’ long home run off the facade of the second deck in left field.
The Diamondbacks open the regular season Monday in Cincinnati.
Notes: The Diamondbacks hit 34 home runs in 32 games this spring. … Arizona and Monterrey had a working agreement from 1999 to 2001, which helped facilitate the signings of former Diamondbacks Edgar Gonzalez, Erubiel Durazo, Oscar Villareal, Luis Ayala and Jorge de la Rosa. … Arizona closed its retractable roof during the bottom of the seventh inning in observance of “Earth Hour.” … Monterrey interrupted a three-game regular-season series against Chihuahua to play the exhibition.
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