Diamondbacks get two Di's, Reds get an L. ARI 5, CIN 4.

Our slingshots have failed.

That was old-fashioned stuff.

Slingshots, dear boy

are not modern enough.

- Dr. Seuss, The Butter Battle Book

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Devin Mesoraco tried his best to muscle the Cincinnati Reds to a 9th inning comeback victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, but his 3-run dinger couldn't erase the entire deficit.  Regardless, Mes gets the nod today after a 2 for 4, 3 RBI day that also saw him nail a runner trying to steal on him.  In a year that is becoming increasingly nondescript, Mesoraco's emergence continues to be the biggest development, and that may go a long way towards the long-term strategy used in rebuilding this team's offense.

Honorable Mentions are due to:  Alfredo Simon, who allowed a 2-run dinger to Paul Goldschmidt but not much else in his 7 innings of work; Skip Schumaker, who went 1 for 3 with a walk and an RBI double; and Ryan Ludwick, Ramon Santiago, and Todd Frazier, who each picked up a hit and a walk on the afternoon.

Key Plays

• Alfredo Simon cruised right along for the first 5 innings, but he then ran into Arizona's MVP candidate in the Top of the 6th.  After a leadoff runner was erased on the basepaths trying to steal, Aaron Hill reached on an infield single and Paul Goldschmidt followed by launching his 19th dinger of the season.  Reds trailed, 2-0.
• Both prior to Goldschmidt's dinger and afterwards the Reds ran forwards, backwards, upside down, and blindfolded, and as a result ran themselves out of any chance of a rally.  Any batter that got on base and didn't run into an out sadly was left on the bases, too, as the Reds managed to strand 9 batters through the first 7 innings.
• J.J. Hoover was brought on for the Top of the 8th, and unfortunately he did what he's done for much of the season.  David Peralta smacked a leadoff triple off the wall in CF that came about a foot shy of being a dinger, and he later scored on a sac fly from Mark Trumbo.  Reds trailed, 3-0.
• The Bottom of the 8th saw Mesoraco's early single negated by a Ryan Ludwick GIDP, but that was followed by a Brayan Pena walk and a gritty-grittay double to the wall in left-center by Skip Schumaker.  Donald Lutz was tasked with pinch hitting, but he grounded out to 1B to end the inning.  Reds trailed, 3-1.
• Carlos Contreras took the mound for the Reds in the Top of the 9th, and after he allowed a leadoff walk to Gerardo Parra and got a line-out to RF (thanks to a running catch from Lutz), former Red Didi Gregorius mashed a laser dinger down the RF line to put the game seemingly on ice.  Reds trailed, 5-1.
• Not so fast, my friends.  The Reds put together a noble rally in the Bottom of the 9th, as a pinch-hit single from Billy Hamilton and Ramon Santiago walk allowed Devin Mesoraco's LF dinger to bring home a pair of buddies and trim the lead to just one run.  Unfortunately, Ryan Ludwick followed by swinging and missing at three consecutive four-seam fastballs from Addison Reed, and that was that.  Reds lose, 5-4.