Diamondbacks 7, Reds 0
Luke Weaver took a perfect game into the sixth and a no-hitter into the seventh, and Matt Peacock pitched two scoreless innings of relief as the Arizona Diamondbacks blanked the visiting Cincinnati Reds, 7-0, Sunday afternoon in Phoenix.
Josh VanMeter, platooning at second base, went 2-for-2 with three walks. Left fielder David Peralta and third baseman Eduardo Escobar each homered, guiding the Diamondbacks to their first series win of the young season.
The Diamondbacks opened the scoring in the second, when Escobar led off with a ground-rule double to right. Right fielder Pavin Smith followed with a single to bring Escobar home. The Diamondbacks added three more in the third. This started when VanMeter drew a one-out walk. After first baseman Christian Walker singled him to second, Peralta unleashed a drive that landed on the fly in the pool in right-center.
Two innings later, the Diamondbacks piled on three more as they batted around. Peralta opened the frame with a double, bringing up Escobar, who homered for the fourth straight game. After two strikeouts, catcher Carson Kelly kept the inning alive with a single. Weaver followed with a single of his own. Next, center fielder Tim Locastro hit a slow grounder to short. Eugenio Suarez had no chance to retire the speedster, so he tried to force Weaver at second. However, Weaver beat the throw, loading the bases for VanMeter. VanMeter got an easy RBI when he drew another walk, forcing Kelly home with the seventh and final run of the game.
Weaver, Peacock Give Reds Fits
Meanwhile, Luke Weaver and Matt Peacock combined to throw a two-hit shutout against a team that had scored 66 runs over eight games entering this one. Weaver, as mentioned earlier, did not allow a baserunner until there were two out in the top of the sixth. That came when he plunked third baseman Alex Blandino, who entered the game as part of a double switch, on the elbow. Weaver did not allow that play to affect his focus, however, as he struck out left fielder Tyler Naquin to retire the side.
That strikeout was not without incident. Naquin struck out by swinging at a pitch in the dirt. Kelly, forgetting how many outs there were, fired to second to try and retire Blandino. Fortunately for the Diamondbacks, VanMeter saw the throw, caught it, and threw to first in time to retire Naquin. Coming off the field, Weaver gave Kelly a “what the heck are you doing?” look. After the game, Weaver said, “The ball came right at my head.” He added, “(Kelly) said he was so locked in that he forgot how many outs there were. I told him that if he was locked in, he would have known there were three outs.”
Weaver gave up his first and only hit in the seventh, a one-out single to shortstop Eugenio Suarez. In the eighth, Matt Peacock took the hill and pitched two scoreless, one-hit innings to preserve the victory.
Looking Ahead
The victory gave the Diamondbacks their first series victory of 2021. They will play a two-game Interleague Series at home on Monday and Tuesday against the Oakland Athletics. After that, they will embark on a grueling 12-day road swing. They will face the Washington Nationals for four games, the Reds for three, and the Atlanta Braves for three.
Weaver (1-0), of course, earned the win. Jose De Leon (0-1) took the loss. Madison Bumgarner (0-2) will look for his first win of the season on Monday evening at 6:40 Arizona Time, while Tuesday’s starter is still up in the air. Zac Gallen is one possibility. Tuesday’s game will start at 12:40 Arizona Time.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players mentioned:
Luke Weaver, Matt Peacock, Josh VanMeter, David Peralta, Eduardo Escobar, Pavin Smith, Christian Walker, Carson Kelly, Tim Locastro, Eugenio Suarez, Alex Blandino, Tyler Naquin, Jose De Leon, Madison Bumgarner, Zac Gallen
