Jordan Montgomery allowed just two runs over seven innings and Gabriel Moreno drove in the go-ahead run to lead the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks past the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 on Wednesday night.
Eugenio Suarez homered against his former team and collected two hits while Moreno also added two hits for the Diamondbacks, who won their third straight.
Montgomery (2-2) scattered seven hits, striking out two and walking two, to end a personal two-game skid.
Facing Arizona closer Kevin Ginkel in the ninth, pinch hitter Jake Fraley worked a leadoff walk. Jeimer Candelario singled before TJ Friedl drove home Fraley to make it 4-3. Left-hander Joe Mantiply was called on to record the final two outs.
The third pinch hitter of the inning, Will Benson, was called out on a check-swing third strike before Jonathan India flied out to deep right to end the game, giving Mantiply his first save in two chances this year and his third career save.
Candelario had three hits and Tyler Stephenson and Friedl each had two for the Reds, who suffered their seventh straight loss.
The Reds snapped a 43-inning drought without a lead when they broke through in the second against Montgomery.
Stephenson opened with a double to left and advanced to third on Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s error. After a groundout, Stuart Fairchild singled to left to give Cincinnati the lead.
But it didn’t last long. Moreno singled off Reds starter Graham Ashcraft (3-2) to open the third and scored on a double by Pavin Smith, tying the score at 1-1. Christian Walker walked with the bases loaded to give Arizona a 2-1 lead.
The Reds tied the score in the fourth when Candelario doubled home Santiago Espinal.
The Diamondbacks knocked Ashcraft from the game in the sixth when Gurriel and Suarez opened the inning with singles. Moreno then hit a soft single off reliever Fernando Cruz, scoring Gurriel for a 3-2 lead.
Ashcraft was charged with three runs and six hits over five-plus innings.
Suarez made it 4-2 with his third homer of the season, a solo shot to left off Lucas Sims in the eighth.
Cincinnati learned before the game that slugger Christian Encarnacion-Strand is expected to miss four to six weeks with a broken bone on his wrist.
–Field Level Media
