Suárez (5 RBIs) has his day in the sun in SD

SAN DIEGO — There’s no getting around the fact that 2024 has been a rough season for D-backs third baseman Eugenio Suárez. He has struggled at the plate from the get-go.

Suárez, though, has continued to be a good defender, and his positive attitude has made him a popular figure in the Arizona clubhouse.

Sunday afternoon, though, was Suárez’s time to play the hero as he hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning and drove in five runs overall as the D-backs rolled to a 9-1 victory over the Padres at Petco Park to clinch a series victory.

“He keeps plowing away at it,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “The attitude is so good; there’s so much professionalism. This day was clearly the best that he’s had so far this year. Hopefully, that gets him pushed in the right direction.”

The first two games of the series were back-and-forth affairs, with the Padres winning the first game on a ninth-inning walk-off and the D-backs winning in 10 innings the following night.

That left both teams emotionally drained, and there was not a lot of action through the first six innings. The teams traded solo home runs in the first inning, with Corbin Carroll hitting one to lead off the game and Jurickson Profar smashing one in the bottom half.

That’s where the score remained until the seventh inning, when Geraldo Perdomo drew a two-out walk and came around to score when Suárez hit a 1-1 fastball from Dylan Cease just over the wall in left field.

“The home run was clearly the difference maker,” Lovullo said.

But Suárez wasn’t done. He delivered a three-run double in the ninth that keyed a five-run rally that put the game away.

“Obviously, when you’ve got days like this, you feel great,” Suárez said. “And I want to keep humble, keep doing what I’ve been doing and work hard every day. No matter what the results, I know what I need to do. Just keep believing in myself, keep doing my work and keep going.”

Suárez’s steady presence in the clubhouse, regardless of what his numbers look like, has made an impression on his teammates.

“He’s a very calm presence who’s been doing it for a while,” starting pitcher Ryne Nelson said. “I think that you watch a guy like him go about his business, and there’s really no pressing. He’s super calm.

“He uplifts everyone in the clubhouse. He’s been going through it a little bit, and it’s obviously not going how he would want it to. I think his attitude toward these things has really helped us as a team. He’s been playing really good defense, and a day like today doesn’t happen if he doesn’t have a calm head on his shoulders.”

Nelson was the beneficiary of Suárez’s offense, as the right-hander picked up the win on a day when he had his secondary stuff working to go along with his fastball.

In 6 2/3 innings, Nelson allowed just one run on three hits while striking out five.

The win raised the D-backs’ record to the .500 mark and it finished off a 4-2 road trip that also included a visit to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers. Winning both series against their division rivals is something that could help the D-backs’ confidence going forward.

“Really good,” first baseman Christian Walker said of the trip. “Love the way we competed from top to bottom — the offense, the defense, the pitchers, everybody. Two tough environments, two tough teams, and we fought hard. I think that’s something that helps the momentum, for sure.”

The D-backs now return home to face the Braves in a four-game series. Right-hander Yilber Diaz will be called up from Triple-A Reno to make his Major League debut against the NL Wild Card leader.

Diaz, the No. 16 prospect in the D-backs’ system, per MLB Pipeline, is starting in the rotation spot of the injured Jordan Montgomery.