Brandon Pfaadt delivered an excellent performance over seven innings, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a crucial RBI double in the eighth inning, propelling the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 2-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.
The Diamondbacks secured two out of three games in the series and have now triumphed in five of their six matchups against the Reds this season.
Pinch hitter Pavin Smith sparked the Diamondbacks’ rally with a double to right field with two outs. Gurriel followed with another double to right field, just out of the reach of a diving Jake Fraley.
Paul Sewald closed out the game in the ninth inning, earning his second save of the season, while Ryan Thompson pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
“It feels great, especially going into a day off with some momentum,” said Smith. “Our pitchers, Pfaadt, Thompson, Sewald, all did an amazing job today. It’s good to see that effort pay off.”
The Diamondbacks, last year’s National League champions, have won seven of their last ten games.
Ketel Marte of Arizona extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a leadoff single in the first inning. Christian Walker then put the Diamondbacks ahead 1-0 in the second inning with his eighth home run of the season.
Pfaadt cruised through the first 4 2/3 innings without allowing any hits until Santiago Espinal tied the game at 1-1 with a homer into the left field seats off a hanging pitch.
Pfaadt allowed just one more hit over the next two innings, issuing two walks and striking out nine.
“Our strategy was to rely more on sliders, and we stuck to that plan,” Pfaadt said. “It worked really well. Going forward, we’ll likely continue to focus on pitching off the slider a bit more.”
Cincinnati’s left-handed pitcher, Andrew Abbott, matched Pfaadt’s performance through seven innings, giving up one run on four hits while striking out four and walking two. Fernando Cruz (1-4) took the loss, allowing the decisive doubles.