Rookie Ahmed makes difference in Diamondbacks’ marathon win over Reds: By The Numbers

In a game that had more innings than hits, the Arizona Diamondbacks emerged victorious in a series opener at the Great American Ball Park against the Cincinnati Reds.

One of the most inexperienced players on the field, Nick Ahmed, became the hero Monday as he singled in Martin Prado from second base to give Arizona a 2-1 win in 15 innings.

After Miguel Montero drove in Mark Trumbo in the top of the fourth inning, the two teams were tied for inning after inning until Ahmed came through in the 15th frame.

Both starting pitchers had strong outings for their respective teams, but each club had to go deep into their bullpens after the game refused to be anything but tied. Oliver Perez (1-1) recorded the win for Arizona, while Addison Reed picked up his 25th save.

Arizona improved to 46-60 with the victory, including 2-2 on the current road trip, while Cincinnati (fourth in the NL Central) fell below .500 at 52-53.

Here’s a look at Monday’s marathon game by the numbers:

.004

Arizona’s .434 winning percentage is just four points from tying the San Diego Padres (46-59) for third place in the NL West. The D-backs are a half-game behind the Padres and 13 games back of the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

1

First baseman Paul Goldschmidt only went 1-for-5, but his first-inning single was enough to break a rare two-game hitless streak. He is batting .305 on the season.

2

After struggling for several games since coming back from a foot injury, Mark Trumbo collected two hits in his second straight outing. The only problem was he accrued six at-bats Monday, so he didn’t exactly have an transcendent game, but he still raised his average to .200. One of Trumbo’s hits was a double, and he scored one of the three runs in the contest. Ahmed and Didi Gregorius were the only other Diamondbacks to collect more than one hit against the Reds.

7.0

Diamondbacks right-hander Chase Anderson tied his career-longest start, as he went 7.0 innings on Monday. He settled down nicely after a rough second inning that saw him give up the only three hits — one being a homer — and one run he would allow all evening. Anderson, 26, struck out eight and walked two in 89 pitches. Reds pitcher Homer Bailey similarly had a strong start, going 8.0 innings while allowing five hits and one earned run with three strikeouts and one walk.

11

Ahmed, 24, collected his 10th and 11th hits — the last one giving him his third RBI — in his 15 games with the Diamondbacks. The midfielder is batting .229 in his first season in the Majors.

14

The two clubs combined for a mere 14 hits in 15 innings, with the Diamondbacks getting eight. The Reds’ six hits came from three sources: Devin Mesoraco, Brayan Pena and Kris Negron, who each had two.

18

Led by Anderson’s eight K’s, Diamondbacks pitchers struck out 18 batters Monday. Brad Ziegler and Evan Marshall both added three, with Marshall getting all of his in just one inning of work. Cincinnati struck out 12 batters as a team.

59

Montero’s fourth-inning single to score Trumbo was his 59th RBI of the year — second on the team behind Goldschmidt’s 67. Montero went just 1-for-5 on Monday with one walk, and his average dropped to .260.

.310

Outfielder David Peralta had six opportunities to get a hit, but it was one of those rare nights this season where he didn’t get on base. The 26-year-old rookie is still batting an impressive .310 on the year.

4 hours, 34 minutes

The first nine innings went by rather quickly Monday in Cincinnati. The only problem: They were just the first nine innings. The marathon game went longer than four-and-a-half hours before it was all said and done. More than 30,000 fans attended the game, although many left at various points during the extra frames.