Diamondbacks vs Reds Recap: Perdomo, Moreno HRs fuel D-backs comeback

The Arizona Diamondbacks came to Cincinnati desperate to bounce back. They'd lost 2-1 the night before and sat at 35-35 on the season. The Reds were right there with them at 33-36, so this game mattered big time. Both teams needed a win badly. Zac Gallen took the mound for Arizona, ready to give his team a chance. But the Reds came out swinging fast. JJ Bleday stepped up in the first inning and crushed a fastball over the right center wall. The crowd jumped to their feet. Cincinnati led 1-0 before Arizona even got their first at-bat.

The Diamondbacks answered back quick. Tommy Troy walked up to the plate in the third inning facing Andrew Abbott. Abbott threw an 85-mile-per-hour changeup right into Troy's wheelhouse. Troy drove it hard to left field—a solo shot that tied the game 1-1. But Cincinnati wouldn't quit. Eugenio Suárez doubled down the right field line with two outs. Nathaniel Lowe scored from second. The Reds grabbed a 2-1 lead and had the momentum rolling.

The game stayed tight heading into the sixth inning. That's when things got crazy. Geraldo Perdomo came up facing Tejay Antone for Arizona. Antone threw a 94-mile-per-hour fastball and Perdomo connected perfectly. The ball rocketed over the right field wall 400 feet away. Ildemaro Vargas scored ahead of him on the homer. Arizona had taken a 3-2 lead and the bench erupted.

But Cincinnati had an answer waiting. Noelvi Marte stepped into the batter's box with two outs. Zac Gallen served up a 93-mile-per-hour sinker and Marte crushed it to left center. The ball sailed 448 feet in the air—one of the longest hits of the day. It tied the game 3-3. These teams were trading punches back and forth. Neither one wanted to blink. Home runs were flying everywhere and you could feel the excitement building toward something special in the final innings.

Arizona took control in the eighth inning and didn't let go. Gabriel Moreno stepped up against Zach Maxwell and faced a 96-mile-per-hour fastball. Moreno ripped it to right field for a solo home run. Arizona led 4-3 and the Diamondbacks sensed victory coming.

Ketel Marte delivered the final dagger in the ninth. Chris Paddack threw a 94-mile-per-hour fastball and Marte drove it into center field for a single. LuJames Groover raced home from third base. That made it 5-3, and that's how it finished. Arizona escaped with the win. The Diamondbacks improved to 36-35. Paul Sewald shut the door with a save. Cincinnati fell to 33-37. Arizona got back to even and stayed alive in this tough division race. This was exactly the kind of game Arizona needed—a comeback victory on the road against a rival team fighting for the same playoff spot.