The Reds and Diamondbacks both had outstanding pitching on the day. But it was Cincinnati who was just a little bit better and it was the bullpen that was the difference as Arizona’s lone reliever on the day gave up the go-ahead home run as the home team picked up a 2-1 win to even up the 3-game series.
FinalRHEArizona Diamondbacks (35-35)170Cincinnati Reds (33-36)231W: Petty (1-1) L: Morillo (1-3) SV: Santillan (3)Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread
Arizona got on the board early when Corbin Carroll hit the 6th pitch of the game into the seats in right-center for a solo home run. Rhett Lowder had to work around some baserunners in the next two innings but he kept the Diamondbacks off the board in both the 2nd and 3rd. In the bottom of the inning the Reds put together a 2-out rally when Matt McLain doubled and then came in to score on a line drive single by Edwin Arroyo that tied the game up.
Lowder found himself in trouble in the top of the 5th after a comebacker off of his glove went for an infield hit with one out and then Gabriel Morena doubled with two outs to put two men in scoring position. A second comebacker of the inning turned out better this time as Lowder snagged it above his head and made a toss to first to record the final out and get out of the jam while keeping the game tied up.
With a runner on and two outs in the top of the 6th the Reds went to their bullpen to bring in Caleb Ferguson. He would pick up a strikeout to strand the runner. After Cincinnati went down in order in their half of the inning, Ferguson returned for the 7th. He would get the first batter out, but walked the next hitter and then saw an infield hit follow up to put two on. The Reds then went back to their bullpen to bring in Chase Petty. He would hit Gabriel Moreno to load the bases, but he came back with a strikeout on three pitches and then got a lazy fly ball to right field to strand everyone.
Petty returned to the mound in the 8th and he found himself in trouble again, this time after a throwing error allowed Tommy Troy to reach safely with one out and then gave up 2-out double to put two men in scoring position for the Diamondbacks. The young right-handed battled with Ketel Marte and he came out the winner by getting a groundout on the 6th pitch of the at-bat to escape the frame.
Arizona went to their bullpen for the bottom of the 8th after seven outstanding innings from Michael Soroka. Juan Morillo struck out Eugenio Suarez to start the inning on three pitches. But three pitches later he threw a slider that caught a bit too much of the middle of the plate and Noelvi Marte got a whole bunch of it as he hit a 413-foot go-ahead solo home run into the seats in left-center.
Holding a 2-1 lead the Reds called on Tony Santillan to come in for the save opportunity. He would get a groundout to start the inning. Another grounder followed and it went to Edwin Arroyo at shortstop, but his throw was a bit wide. Spencer Steer, who had just moved to first base to begin the inning, made a diving stretch and kept his foot on the bag just long enough to record the out. Santillan then got a third groundout to end the game, seal the win, and even up the series at one game for each team as they head into Sunday’s series finale.
Key Moment of the Game
Noelvi Marte’s go-ahead home run in the bottom of the 8th inning.
Notes Worth Noting
Cincinnati only had three hits on the day but they made them count. Matt McLain had one hit and he would score later in the inning on a hit by Edwin Arroyo. The next hit the Reds had was in the 8th and it was the go-ahead home run by Noelvi Marte. Arizona went 0-8 with runners in scoring position on the day and stranded 12 runners.
Chase Petty threw 1.2 shutout innings of relief in the game. He stranded multiple runners in each of the two innings he pitched. He was also credited with the win, which was his first in his big league career.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Arizona Diamondbacks vs Cincinnati Reds
Sunday June 14th, 1:40pm ET
Zac Gallen (3-5, 5.43 ERA) vs Andrew Abbott (4-4, 4.10 ERA)
