Joc Pederson’s slam helps D-backs demolish Angels

Joc Pederson hit a grand slam and drove in five runs and Christian Walker had two homers and four RBIs as the Arizona Diamondbacks rolled to a 11-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday in P

Joc Pederson’s slam helps D-backs demolish Angels

Joc Pederson hit a grand slam and drove in five runs and Christian Walker had two homers and four RBIs as the Arizona Diamondbacks rolled to a 11-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday in Phoenix.

Kevin Newman went 3-for-4 with a two-run single for the Diamondbacks, who scored 23 runs while taking two of three games from the Angels. Arizona has won eight of its past 12 games overall.

Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt (3-5) struck out eight in six innings. He gave up one run, six hits and three walks while ending a three-start winless stretch.

Walker logged the 11th multihomer game of his career. He has gone deep three times over the past two games.

Luis Rengifo had two hits for the Angels, who have lost four of their past six games.

Griffin Canning (2-7) served up both of Walker’s homers while allowing four runs and four hits over six innings. He struck out three and walked one as his winless streak increased to five starts.

Walker’s first homer, a three-run shot, came in the opening inning and traveled 404 feet.

Ketel Marte doubled with one out and Pederson walked. Canning fell behind Walker 3-0 but later got the count full before Walker teed off on a fastball and sent it over the left field wall to make it 3-0.

Walker came up in the third inning with two outs and nobody on. On the fourth pitch, he hammered Canning’s slider well over the left-center-field wall. The blast, his 15th of the season, traveled 464 feet.

The Angels got on the board in the fourth when Logan O’Hoppe doubled with one out and scored on Mickey Moniak’s two-out single.

Arizona broke the game open with six runs in the seventh to increase its lead to 10-1.

Eugenio Suarez walked against Hunter Strickland and moved to third on a double by Gabriel Moreno. Newman followed with a bloop single into right field to score both and end Strickland’s outing.

Luis Garcia entered and walked Corbin Carroll and Marte to load the bases. Pederson then emptied them by jumping on a first-pitch sweeper and hitting it 430 feet and over the pool in right-center. It was Pederson’s eighth homer of the campaign.

Pederson added a run-scoring single in the eighth.