D-backs hit 3 HRs, offense erupts for 12-5 win over Reds
PHOENIX — Nick Ahmed, Chris Owings and John Ryan Murphy each homered as Arizona’s offense — slumbering for nearly all of May — came alive for a 12-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, just the Diamondbacks’ third win in their last 18 games.
Ahmed and Owings each had a three-run home run in the opener of a six-game homestand after Arizona staggered back from a 1-8 road trip. Murphy added a solo shot.
Ahmed and Murphy homered off Homer Bailey (1-7), who allowed eight runs, six earned, on six hits in four innings. The Reds are 1-11 in games Bailey has started.
Matt Koch (3-3) went five innings, giving up five runs on 11 hits for Arizona. Eugenio Suarez had four hits for the Reds, including an RBI double.
The Diamondbacks, in their highest-scoring game of the season, were aided by three Cincinnati errors.
The biggest was a miscue by shortstop Jose Peraza on a made-to-order inning-ending double play. That cleared the way for Arizona’s four-run second inning.
Daniel Descalso led off the second with a triple to the right field gap before Murphy bounced out to third. Owings walked and Socrates Brito bounced one to Peraza, who was standing a couple of steps from second base. But the ball glanced off the glove and then the side of Peraza’s head, allowing Descalso to score and tie it 1-1.The next batter, Ahmed, homered on an 0-2 pitch into the left field seats to make it 4-1.
The four runs were the most in an inning for the Diamondbacks since they got five in the third against the Phillies on April 26.
Murphy’s leadoff homer made it 5-1 in the fourth, and Owings reached on third baseman Suarez’s fielding error. Brito singled and Ahmed hit a hard grounder to third. Suarez threw to second for the force as Owings raced for home and scored ahead second baseman Scooter Gennett’s errant throw.
Cincinnati rallied to make it 6-5 with three runs in the fifth.