Ketel Marte homered and left-hander Jordan Montgomery returned from the injured list to log five strong innings as the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Kansas City Royals 6-2 on Tuesday night, evening a three-game series.

Activated from the 15-day IL for his first start since June 27 due to right knee inflammation, Montgomery (7-5) retired 14 of the last 16 batters he faced. He allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out two.

Montgomery is 4-1 in his past five starts, and the Diamondbacks are 9-5 in his appearances this season.

Arizona loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning before jumping out to a 3-0 lead. Corbin Carroll opened the frame with a single and eventually scored on Christian Walker’s sacrifice fly. Two more runs came home on Gabriel Moreno’s two-out single.

Royals right-hander Alec Marsh, making his first start since July 10, settled in to retire 10 of the next 11 hitters, six on strikeouts, before eventually surrendering Marte’s two-run homer in the fifth.

Marte pulled Marsh’s 2-0 changeup around the right field foul pole for a 5-1 lead. Ignoring first base umpire Brian O’Nora’s foul call, Marte continued to circle the bases. After a short conference by the umpires, the ball was ruled fair.

It was Marte’s 21st homer of the season and his fourth in his past 10 games. He scored three runs and collected two of the Diamondbacks’ eight hits on Tuesday and is batting .355 with five home runs and 15 RBIs in 20 games since June 27.

Four Arizona relievers combined to allow one run over four innings, and Kansas City had seven hits overall.

The Diamondbacks have won seven of their past 10 games.

Marsh (7-7) allowed five runs on five hits and two walks in five innings, striking out six.

Bobby Witt Jr.’s double in the first inning drove in the Royals’ first run, and Salvador Perez added an RBI single in the ninth.

Kansas City had a four-game winning streak snapped.

–Field Level Media