Corbin Carroll drilled a three-run homer and drove in his team’s first five runs as Zac Gallen threw six shutout innings, helping the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks down the Cincinnati Reds 6-2 on Tuesday.
Carroll, the 2023 National League Rookie of the Year, matched his career-high RBI total set on June 9, 2023, at Detroit.
Gallen (4-2) snapped a personal two-start losing streak, allowing just a leadoff single by Jake Fraley in the second inning and three walks while striking out six.
Ketel Marte homered, his seventh, and Kevin Newman had two hits for the Diamondbacks, who won their second game in a row.
Jonathan India belted his second homer with two outs in the seventh off Arizona reliever Bryce Jarvis for Cincinnati’s first long ball since May 1. Tyler Stephenson added his fourth in the ninth off reliever Paul Sewald.
The Reds lost their sixth straight, fell a season-worst three games under .500. They haven’t held a lead in 42 innings.
The anemic Cincinnati offense continued its woeful display before a sparse home crowd Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series.
Cincinnati batters had just one hit through six innings after collecting only 11 hits and two runs in three losses to the host Baltimore Orioles over the weekend.
Reds starter Frankie Montas (2-3) looked strong in his first start back after taking a line drive off his right forearm on April 21 against the Los Angeles Angels.
The right-hander retired the first six batters he faced before Jake McCarthy walked to open the third. Tucker Barnhart followed with a single to right that put runners on the corners with no outs.
After Newman popped out, Carroll tapped a soft grounder back to Montas. However, instead of throwing home with an easy play on McCarthy, Montas threw to second for the second out, allowing McCarthy to score.
The Diamondbacks added an unearned run in the fifth when shortstop Elly De La Cruz mishandled a routine grounder from Barnhart with one out. Newman singled and Barnhart scored from second on Carroll’s single to center.
Montas allowed just four hits and two runs — one earned — in six innings, striking out seven and walking one.
Arizona blew the game open with a three-run Carroll homer off Justin Wilson in the seventh, his second of the year. That was followed immediately by a solo homer from Marte that gave the Diamondbacks a 6-0 lead.
Cincinnati center fielder TJ Friedl made his 2024 debut, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout in the leadoff spot. He was activated from the injured list before the game after recovering from a broken right wrist.
–Field Level Media