Relief arms stifled the Cincinnati Reds, buying time for a late Arizona Diamondbacks rally.
The Arizona Diamondbacks series finale against the Cincinnati Reds wasn't looking too good when Mitch Bratt gave up a trio of earned runs in just three innings of work.
The 23-year-old has now only recorded nine outs in each of his last two starts, a major downgrade from the performances he had at the beginning of the month.
Thankfully for Bratt, he didn't have to take the loss as the Diamondbacks bullpen showed up in a big way.
Gerardo Carrillo needed 35 pitches to record five outs, mostly due to a pair of walks, but after he was pulled, the Diamondbacks locked in by striking out five batters and allowing just two hits with no walks or runs.
Offensively, the top of the lineup got the job done. The D-backs' first three hitters combined for four hits and four RBIs in a statement victory for a playoff contender that now sits at 69-62.
Diamondbacks bullpen kept them in this game
Arizona was coming into this game fresh off an 11-5 loss, one that highlighted just how inconsistent this pitching staff is.
In the series finale, all of that noise was put to rest, at least for the time being. On a day when the team designated Zack Littell for assignment, everyone in this bullpen made sure their names weren't the next on the chopping block.
Jonathan Loaisiga, their third pitcher of the game, picked up the win as he improves to 5-3 on the year. Following his solid inning, Juan Morillo and Brandyn Garcia picked up holds while Kevin Ginkel netted his second save of the year.
One of the most impressive statistics of the night is the fact that Taylor Clarke, Ginkel, and Garcia threw first-pitch strikes against every batter they faced. In total, 102 of the D-backs' 166 pitches were for strikes.
Late rally for the D-backs
The Diamondbacks may have trailed 3-0 in the third inning, but they weren't about to let the Reds come to Chase Field and walk away with a series victory.
It took awhile to get things going offensively, but the D-backs netted their first run in the sixth inning and then put up a four-spot in the seventh.
Lars Nootbar had a big-time pinch-hit RBI, but all eyes were on the trio of Ildemaro Vargas, Corbin Carroll, and Gabriel Moreno.
This team could've easily waived the white flag once all of the Ketel Marte drama ensued, but instead, these three helped continue to pave the way for what Diamondbacks baseball is all about, and that includes a potential playoff berth here in 2026.
