CINCINNATI — TJ Friedle, Matt McClain and Jake Fraley hit back-to-back at-bats in the sixth inning and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 on Saturday.
Brandon Pifatt (0-4), the Diamondbacks’ rookie right-hander recently called up from Triple-A Reno, retired 16 straight batters after Spencer Steer led off the first inning with a single and Friedl unleashed a cannonball display.
With one out in the sixth inning, Fidell found an 0-2 pitch and sent the ball behind right field into the visitors’ bullpen. McClain followed with a long homer to left field, and Fraley completed his third straight home run with a shot to right field to give Cincinnati a 3-1 lead.
The last time the Reds hit three home runs in a row was on July 13, 2022, when they were hit by Kyle Farmer, Mike Mastakas and Stuart Fairchild at Yankee Stadium.
Rookie left-hander Brandon Williamson (2-2) turned in another strong start, allowing one run and three hits.
For the Diamondbacks, Dominicans Ketel Marte 3-1 with an RBI, Geraldo Perdomo 1-0. Cuba Lourdes Curiel Jr. 4-0. Puerto Rican Emmanuel Rivera is 3-0.
For the Reds, Dominican Ellie de la Cruz scored a run without an official turn.
