Reds fall to Diamondbacks, drop fifth straight series
· Yahoo Sports
Even with another home run from the suddenly-surging Noelvi Marte, the Cincinnati Reds fell short against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Marte homered in the June 14 series final against Arizona, marking three home runs in three games against the Diamondbacks. His latest pulled Cincinnati into a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning, but Arizona out-slugged the Reds in a 5-3, rain-interrupted win at Great American Ball Park to take the series.
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Arizona catcher Gabriel Moreno's go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning just cleared the left-field fence on a day when the teams combined for five home runs.
Reds reliever Zach Maxwell took the loss after allowing the home run to Moreno.
Cincinnati mounted a rally in the bottom of the eighth inning as the rain arrived to the ballpark, but Eugenio Suárez and Marte struck out in back-to-back at-bats with the go-ahead run in scoring position. In Suárez's case, the would-be tying run was a sacrifice fly away in Sal Stewart on third base.
Suárez hit a ball halfway up the wall in right-center field for an RBI double in the third inning. He went 1-for-4 in the game.
After collecting just four and three hits in the first and second games of the series, Cincinnati had eight hits in the series finale, including homers by Marte and JJ Bleday in the first inning. But the team was still just 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded six.
After Marte's strikeout to end the eighth inning, the the tarp came out to cover the infield for an eventual one-hour, 12-minute delay.
When play resumed in the top of the ninth inning, Arizona got its leadoff and No. 8 hitter on, bunted him over and saw Ketel Marte single LuJames Groover in for an insurance run.
Cincinnati's Matt McLain walked to begin the home side of the ninth inning, but Will Benson followed with a strikeout, Edwin Arroyo popped out and Blake Dunn flew out to end the game.
Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott (4-4, no decision) tossed five innings of one-run baseball.
A June swoon for the Reds
May was a decidedly bad month for Cincinnati, and June hasn't been much better.
Last month started with a 2-10 record for the Reds. The series loss to Arizona dropped Cincinnati to 3-9 to begin June.
The Reds haven't won a series since a May 25-27 set with the New York Mets at Citi Field, and are now on a run of five consecutive series losses.
Cincinnati's struggles are largely viewed within the context of their 20-11 start to the year, which saw the team finish April leading the National League Central. The club is 13-26 since May 1.
Next up for the Reds | Meeting with Mets
The New York Mets come to Great American Ball Park June 15-17 for the second leg of Cincinnati's six-game homestand.
The Mets entered play June 14 with a 31-39 record. Just as when the teams last played May 25-27, New York is in last place in the National League East division. The Reds took two of three games last month against the Mets at Citi Field, and can win the season series for the second year in a row.
The Reds-Mets series begins June 15 (7:10 p.m.) with Chase Burns (7-1, 2.14 ERA) scheduled to start for Cincinnati. The Mets hadn't announced their expected starter for the game.
The middle game of the series on June 16 (7:10 p.m.) is scheduled to feature the Reds' Brady Singer (2-6, 5.61 ERA) against Christian Scott (2-0, 3.10 ERA). The start will be Scott's 10th of the season.
The series and homestand finale June 17 (12:40 p.m.) is a scheduled matchup between Nick Lodolo (2-1, 5.21 ERA) versus New York's Nolan McLean (3-4, 4.01 ERA).
Cincinnati faced McLean on May 25 and knocked him around to the tune of seven earned runs over 3 1/3 innings.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds fall to Diamondbacks, drop fifth straight series