D-Backs top Bucs for sweep

Buchholz exits game with injury

PITTSBURGH — Everything was going Clay Buchholz’s way. Then, a swing-and-miss led to an injury that turned what could have been a gem into a routine solid outing.

Buchholz lasted five innings before experiencing tightness in his left side, but the Arizona Diamondbacks completed a fourgame sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 3-0 win Sunday.

The right-hander retired the first 11 batters he faced before Pirates centerfielder Starling Marte doubled down the right-field line with two out in the fourth inning. Despite throwing just 53 pitches (42 strikes), he was pulled to start the sixth inning after informing manager Torey Lovullo of some pain stemming from swinging at the first pitch of his at bat in the top of the fifth.

“I’ve had oblique, whatever it is, before. It was a lot worse than this one,” Buchholz said. “I went out (in the bottom of the fifth) and the last two outs, that’s whenever I felt it a little bit more. I was just trying to get through that inning. It’s more precautionary. I’ve gone through things before where I’ve tried to get through it, pitch through it and go another inning, but that’s always led me in the wrong direction.”

Lovullo said Buchholz (2-1), who allowed two hits with five strikeouts in five innings for his first win since June 1, would continue to be evaluated throughout Sunday. More information is expected Monday.

“He was attacking the zone with the fastball and driving his fastball on both sides of the plate, and then throwing some quality secondary stuff,” Lovullo said. “We want to give him a night to let everything calm down and evaluate him.”

David Peralta’s 15th home run, which carried over the wall in right-center field before bouncing into the Allegheny River, and John Ryan Murphy’s ninth powered Arizona to its 12th win in 16 games.