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Phoenix, AZ - Joey Votto bonked a 2-run homer, Josh VanMeter did, too, and the Cincinnati Reds were able to outlast the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 on Friday evening in the opener of their weekend series.
The Reds were up against an old friend in Mike Leake, as their 2009 1st round draft pick landed with Arizona mid-season after a trade from the Seattle Mariners, and it was against Leake - Votto’s longtime former teammate - that Cincinnati’s stalwart 1B did his 2-run mashing.
The Reds had Luis Castillo on the mound to start, and while he was far from his at-times dominant self, he did manage to limit the Snakes to just 2 ER in 5 IP, needing 84 pitches to get through that number of frames. He fanned 3 against 3 walks, which was largely why manager David Bell had a quick hook with him on the night.
Other highlights included: Eugenio Suarez picking up just his 2nd triple of the season, a lengthy blast off the wall in CF that would have easily been a dinger in many parks; Jose Iglesias posting an 0-fer at the plate while flashing brilliant defense at SS once again; Raisel Iglesias hammering down the save; and Michael Lorenzen firing a pair of scoreless innings of relief.
Next up: Anthony DeSclafani will toe the rubber when these two teams go back to work, and he’ll be opposed by Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly, who I’ve honestly never once heard of before in my life. First pitch Saturday is set for 8:10 PM ET, which seems like a damn morning game based on all the #LateNightReds we’ve been watching of late.