Noelvi Marte blasted a tie-breaking solo home run in the eighth and the Cincinnati Reds held on for a 2-1 win against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday afternoon in the second game of their three-game series.
Juan Morillo (1-3) replaced Diamondbacks starter Michael Soroka to start the eighth and served up Marte’s second home run of the season to left-center field with one out to break the 1-1 tie.
Cincinnati starter Rhett Lowder went 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run and five hits while striking out six and walking two.
Caleb Ferguson and Chase Petty (1-1) combined for 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief before Tony Santillan closed in the ninth for his third save.
The Reds had dropped seven of eight.
Soroka allowed one run and two hits in seven innings. He struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter, retiring the final 13 batters he faced.
Corbin Carroll homered and singled, and Ketel Marte and Gabriel Moreno also had two hits each for the Diamondbacks, who won the series opener 5-2 on Friday night, but stranded 12 runners and went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position on Saturday.
Carroll was the second batter of the game and he drove the first pitch he saw from Lowder into the seats in right field for his 12th home run of the season and a 1-0 lead.
Matt McLain delivered Cincinnati’s first hit when he doubled down the left-field line with two outs in the third and then came home on a line-drive single to right by Edwin Arroyo to tie it 1-1.
Arizona put its leadoff batter on base in the second and third innings off Lowder, but couldn’t capitalize.
The Diamondbacks also had runners on second and third with two outs in the fifth before Nolan Arenado grounded back to Lowder to end the threat.
They loaded the bases with one out for Arenado in the seventh and he struck out on three pitches off Petty. Pavin Smith then flew out to right to end that threat.
Cincinnati only managed four baserunners in the game and fanned ten times.
