Hill hits for the cycle as D'Backs down M's
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Aaron Hill recorded the fifth cycle in Diamondbacks history Monday and Wade Miley threw seven innings of one-run ball as Arizona cruised to a 7-1 win over the Seattle Mariners.
Hill singled in the first inning, tripled in the third, doubled in the fifth and completed his first career cycle in the seventh by taking Shawn Kelley deep over the left field wall. He scored three times.
"It was nice to come out and get the bats rolling," Hill said. "Any time you come out and spread the ball around it's nice."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hill's efforts were plenty for Miley (8-3), who lowered his earned run average to 2.30 by scattering nine hits and striking out eight.
"Their guy pitched a good ballgame," Seattle manager Eric Wedge said of Miley. "We were never in a position to do some damage."
Hector Noesi (2-8) was on the opposite end of the decision, allowing six runs -- five earned -- on nine hits over six frames.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Seattle was coming off back-to-back wins over the Giants and had won seven straight meetings against Arizona.
The Diamondbacks, coming off consecutive shutout losses to the Angels, began the game with three singles, the last coming on a base hit to left field by Justin Upton. Willie Bloomquist and Michael Saunders' throw from left arrived simultaneously at the plate, and Bloomquist scored when Jesus Montero was unable hang on to the ball following a slight collision.
Jason Kubel and Paul Goldschmidt each pushed a run across with sacrifice flies later in the inning, and Upton did the same in the third after Hill opened the frame with a triple.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Casper Wells' RBI double in the sixth got the Mariners on the board, but the hosts pushed two more across in the home half via a Miguel Montero sac fly and Josh Bell's run-scoring base hit.
In the seventh, Hill joined Arizona's short list of those who completed a cycle with a no-doubter halfway up the bleachers in left field.
The crowd at Chase Field gave the second baseman a curtain call.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Game Notes
Kelly Johnson, Stephen Drew, Greg Colbrunn and Luis Gonzalez also recorded cycles for the Diamondbacks. Johnson was the last to do so on July 23, 2010...The last time the Mariners allowed a cycle was to Oakland's Miguel Tejada on September 29, 2001...Miley did not issue a walk and has given up only one free pass in four outings this month (30 innings)...Noesi is winless in his past eight outings (0-5)...Arizona's last win against Seattle was on July 16, 2001...The Mariners have won five straight series versus the D-Backs since Arizona took two of three at home in 1998.