Cincinnati would blow a 1-run lead in the 7th and then watch as Arizona put the game away in the 8th inning when four walks by two relievers led to three runs. With their 5-2 win the Diamondbacks secured a series victory, taking three of the four games from the Reds.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (68-64) |
2 | 4 | 0 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks (69-62) |
5 | 8 | 0 |
| W: McGough (2-7) L: Gibaut (8-3) SV: Thompson (1) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
Neither team was able to get much going in the first two inning, but Arizona got through against Graham Ashcraft in the bottom of the 3rd inning when Corbin Carroll single with one out and came around to score when Ketel Marte doubled into the right field corner.
Arizona threatened again in the bottom of the 5th inning and Corbin Carroll was at the center of things once again. This time the Diamondbacks rookie hit a ball off of the wall in center that TJ Friedl leapt for but couldn’t come up with, and Carroll was off to the races. Friedl recovered and fired the ball towards the infield where Elly De La Cruz cut the ball off and fired a 99.7 MPH throw to the plate where Tyler Stephenson was able to tag out Carroll at the plate to end the inning and keep the score 1-0.
Elly De La Cruz just threw this ball 99.7 MPH… @ellylacocoa18 pic.twitter.com/jHUJc46jM1
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 27, 2023
The Reds hadn’t done much against Slade Cecconi through five innings – they had just one hit at that point. But when the 6th inning rolled around Will Benson and Tyler Stephenson put together back-to-back singles to lead off the inning and put runners on the corners. TJ Friedl then hit a fly ball plenty deep enough to center to bring in Will Benson and tie the game up.
Spencer Steer led off the 7th with a walk and moved up to second base on a fly out. Noelvi Marte would come through with a clutch hit with two outs, driving in Steer with a single into left field to give Cincinnati a 2-1 lead.
Graham Ashcraft returned to the mound to begin the bottom of the 7th and immediately gave up a game-tying home run to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. He would retire the next two hitters before issuing a 2-out walk. That would end Ashcraft’s night as the Reds called on Ian Gibaut to come on to face Geraldo Perdomo. It was the right move as Gibaut struck him out to end the inning.
Ian Gibaut came back out for the start of the 8th inning and walked both of the first two batters he saw. That was enough for manager David Bell to see as he called on Lucas Sims out of the bullpen. He then walked Tommy Pham on four pitches to load the bases with no outs. Christian Walker would see three strikes, but the third one turned into a sacrifice fly that put Arizona up 3-2 and advanced Ketel Marte to third base on the play, too. Pham would then steal second base on the first pitch to take the traditional double play off of the table. Another walk would load the bases again, bringing Evan Longoria to the plate and he came through with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 4-2. Alek Thomas then singled into center to make it 5-2 as the Diamondbacks continued to play add on. Sims would strike out Gabriel Moreno to end the inning.
Arizona called on Ryan Thompson to try and lock down a win. And he did just that, getting the Reds out in order in the 9th to give the Diamondbacks a series victory.
Key Moment of the Game
The 8th inning when Ian Gibaut and Lucas Sims combined to walk four batters and give up three runs.
Notes worth noting
Graham Ashcraft was good once again. Over his last 11 starts he’s posted a 2.39 ERA in 71.2 innings.
Elly De La Cruz nearly matched his own record for highest velocity on a throw by an infielder on an assist since 2015 when those things began to be tracked, falling 0.1 MPH short of the record he set earlier this year.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs San Francisco Giants
Monday August 28th, 9:45pm ET
Andrew Abbott (8-3, 3.16 ERA) vs Kyle Harrison (0-0, 5.40 ERA)
