On Monday in Phoenix, the Reds broke through against Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly.
Kelly was 3-0 against the Reds and less than a week ago in Great American Ball Park he held them to no runs and one hit.
This time the Reds extracted five runs and eight hits off Kelly in six innings and used them to post a 5-4 victory.
On the Reds side of the ledger, left-hander Mike Minor was winless in his previous nine starts and he was 0-2 in his two starts for the Reds this season.
He spotted Arizona a 4-1 lead after four innings, but Brandon Drury lofted a three-run home run into the front row of the left field seats in the fifth to tie it, 4-4; It was Drury’s team-leading 12th homer and pushed his hitting streak to 12 games.
The Reds barged ahead, 5-4, with a run in the sixth with a splash of small ball.
Matt Reynolds beat out an infield hit to shortstop, stole second and scored on a broken-bat bloop single to right field.
Minor stranded two runners in the first and a runner on second in the second.
The Diamondbacks scored two in the third when Minor gave up a two-out double to Ketel Marte and a mammoth heat-seeking 446-foot home run to Christian Walker into the left field upper deck. It was Walker’s 16th homer and the sixth home run off Minor in three starts.
The Reds grabbed a run in the fourth on a two-out double by Kyle Farmer and a single to right by Reynolds, cutting Arizona’s lead to 2-1.
The D-Backs made it 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth on two infield singles, a run-scoring single by Geraldo Perdomo and a sacrifice fly by Jordan Luplow.
Then came Drury’s game-tying three-run home run against his former D-backs teammates. The rally was started with a one-out single by catcher Chris Okey, his first major-league hit. And Nick Senzel walked on four pitches preceding Drury’s home run.
Minor retired one batter in the seventh and was replaced by Tony Santillan. Minor’s line was 6 1/3 innings, four runs, eight hits, two walks and four strikeouts.
Santillan quickly gave up an infield single to Marte to put the potential tying run on base. But Walker popped out and Daulton Varsho lined hard to center field, leaving the Reds in charge, 5-4.
Reds manager David Bell has a penchant for using players immediately upon their call-up from Class AAA Louisville.
And such was the case in the eighth inning when he called for Reiver Sanmartin out of the bullpen. He was an unsuccessful starter early this season with the Reds and was sent to Louisville.
He was recalled before Monday’s game and right fielder Albert Almora Jr. saved him early trouble with a sliding catch on pinch-hitter Pavin Smith to open the eighth. Sanmartin then struck out Jake McCarthy, but Thomas beat a chopper to second base, Arizona’s fifth infield hit.
Bell went to the bullpen again and brought in Art Warren. Thomas stole second and continued to third on catcher Okey’s throwing error, putting the tying run 90 feet from tying the game.
Warren rose to the challenge by striking out Geraldo Perdomo on a full count 87 miles an hour disappearing slider.
The Reds threatened to score a run or two in the eighth, but after two had walked, Tommy Pham took a called strike three to end the inning.
Hunter Strickland was sent to the mound in the ninth to close it out. Pinch-hitter David Peralta lined hard to right field and Almora made a running catch. Josh Rojas struck out swinging on 97 miles per hour fastball. And Marte popped out to second to end it, Strickland’s second save of the season.
Second baseman Jonathan India was activated off the injured list before the game but did not play. Aristides Aquino was placed on the IL with a calf injury. There are 17 players on the Reds’ IL and they’ve used the IL 29 times so far this season.
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