Corbin hit because he worked the final two innings – with a seven-run lead at that point, Chip Hale didn’t need to burn another relief pitcher.
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Cincinnati scored nine runs against Arizona right-hander Zack Godley (4-3) in the first two innings. He actually talked to me – spoke very good English – and said he was ready, his back felt fine and why wasn’t he in the lineup.
“Everything was working for me and I was hitting spots”, Finnegan said.
Joey Votto hit a two-run homer in the first to start the scoring and Scott Schebler hit a two-run homer of his own later in the inning.
Pollock had his first three hits since being activated Friday after spending the first 20 weeks of the season on the disabled list with a fractured right elbow.
Despite the Diamondbacks being wrapped up in a lost year at 53-75, last place in the NL West, the return of their 28-year-old all-star outfielder is being treated as a celebratory moment of the 2016 season.
“We hit every checkpoint”, Pollock said prior to Friday night’s game. That’s his favorite thing, when he gets out on the bases. As you’d expect, a lot of offense to go around this afternoon.
Tomas delivered a pinch-hit three-run shot in the sixth inning off Reds reliever Ross Ohlendorf, his team-leading 27th of the season.
Schebler had a career-high five RBIs and three hits in the first multihomer game of his career. Tomas has 14 homers since July 24, the most in the majors. That number’s a little skewed though, thanks to one really rough outing against the Red Sox on August 14 (nine earned runs in 1.2 innings).
“He’s a pitcher, in every sense of the word”, Cincinnati manager Bryan Price said. “They counter-punched big time”.
Reds right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (8-2) threw his first career shutout while limiting the Diamondbacks to four hits, all singles. Pollock singled to load the bases with no outs against Homer Bailey. Phillips and Schebler singled with two outs, and Phillips scored when Micheal Bourn dropped Eugenio Suarez’s twisting liner to left. An ERA at 3.91, Miller allowed 55 hits in 50.2 innings, walked 10 batters and fanned 55 hitters. Bailey underwent Tommy John surgery early a year ago.
“It is not like you are going through a bunch of pain”, Bailey said. “It is just frustrating that you can’t get the extension and finish the pitches that you want to. Elbow-wise, zero (pain), so if there is a silver lining that would probably be it”. He struck out the side in the first and fifth innings, and he gave up only three hits.
Braden Shipley overcame some control issues and pitched four-hit ball for seven innings, giving up a run with four walks and a strikeout. “I feel good, but you are planning for the long haul, too”.
Reds: C Tucker Barnhart was scratched from the original lineup with a sore right hand and replaced by Cabrera. Ramon Cabrera filled in at catcher for the second straight night.
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Each of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ last four victories have come by one run and they look to continue the pattern of winning close games when they host the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday in the second contest of a three-game set. Blowout wins like this have been rare, though this afternoon did match the nine-run margin against the Mets on August 11, when we beat them 9-0.
