CINCINNATI — Jordan Montgomery allowed two runs through seven innings, Eugenio Suárez homered and the Arizona Diamondbacks held on to beat Cincinnati 4-3 on Wednesday night, extending the Reds skid to a season-high seven straight.
The Diamondbacks won their third in a row and got another solid outing from a starting pitcher. Montgomery (2-2) scattered seven hits, struck out two and walked two. On Tuesday night, Zac Gallen threw six shutout innings as the Diamondbacks took the first game of the series.
Montgomery bounced back from an awful start May 1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers in which he gave up six runs in three innings.
“After the way it went for the Dodgers, I just had to get back out there,” he said. “It was good to get back out there and have better results.”
Christian Walker, Gabriel Moreno and Pavin Smith also drove in runs for Arizona to keep Cincinnati winless in the month of May.
“I think these are good games for us to win," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "We have to win one-run games. We have to learn how to execute at critical points in the game and expect to have this type of outcome.”
Reds starter Graham Ashcraft (3-2) allowed three runs and six hits through five innings, striking out two and walking three.
Ashcraft exited with two runners on and no outs in the sixth and the score tied at 2. Moreno singled home the go-ahead run before reliever Fernando Cruz worked out of the jam.
Suárez gave the Diamondbacks some breathing room with a two-out homer to center off Lucas Sims in the eighth.
TJ Friedl's single in the ninth cut Arizona's lead to 4-3. With one out and two runners on, reliever Joe Mantiply struck out pinch-hitter Will Benson and induced a fly ball to right from Jonathan India to seal it and earn his first save.
Stuart Fairchild and Jeimer Candelario also drove in runs for Cincinnati. Elly De La Cruz stole two bases to extend his major-league leading total to 21.
“We’re really close,” Reds manager David Bell said. “You know it might now seem like that, but I know from being in the clubhouse and our dugout around our guys every day all day long, we’re super close. We just have to trust what we’re doing, and we’ll break through.”
TRAINER'S ROOM
Reds: Put IB Christian Encarnacion-Strand (wrist) on the 10-day disabled list. Mike Ford, a 31-year-old journeyman first baseman, was signed to a one-year major league contract to take his spot on the roster. ... Put LHP Bandon Williamson (left shoulder strain) on the 60-day disabled list.
UP NEXT
The Diamondbacks will go for a sweep when they send right-hander Slade Cecconi (1-2, 4.96) against Reds right-hander Hunter Greene (1-2, 3.12 ERA) on Thursday afternoon.
