Defensive miscues help D-backs score most runs in one inning since April 26

The Cincinnati Reds’ offense has been largely average over the past month. That’s not the reason they’re last place in the NL Central.

So when they took a 1-0 lead off the struggling Arizona Diamondbacks in the top second, the D-backs needed to get on the board.

In the bottom half of the inning, second baseman Daniel Descalso drilled the first pitch he saw, a four-seam fastball, to center field.

Center fielder Billy Hamilton dove and missed.

What would have been an easy double, or a close play at third, turned into a stand-up triple.

Catcher John Ryan Murphy grounded out to third – Descalso stayed put – and right fielder Chris Owings walked.

With runners on the corners, left fielder Socrates Brito grounded the ball up the middle.

It struck off the mound, but bounced directly toward the glove of Reds shortstop Jose Peraza. It was unclear if he missed played the ball due to the hop, or if it had no impact – either way, the ball bounced off Peraza’s glove.

This is the error that allowed the #Dbacks to keep the inning alive for Ahmed’s blast. Should have been an inning-ending double play. pic.twitter.com/AXEfuxE3X9

— FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) May 28, 2018

What should have been an inning-ended double play allowed Descalso to score, Owings to advance to second and Brito to get to first safely.

Shortstop Nick Ahmed stepped to the plate.

On an 0-2 count, he hit a home run to left field. It was his first career home run on an 0-2 pitch, according to the Diamondbacks.

Ahmed has eight home runs this season, already just one shy of his career high, which he hit in 2015.

The four runs scored in the second inning was the most the Diamondbacks have scored in a one frame since April 26, when they scored five runs in the third against the Philadelphia Phillies.

“Any time you can get those opportunities where a team kind of hands you something or gives you one of those free 90s or opportunities to continue an inning, you want to try to pounce on it, and that’s what the good teams do,” Ahmed said.

The Diamondbacks took advantage of the Reds’ defense again in the fourth.

With runners on the corners and no outs, third baseman Eugenio Suarez fielded a groundball and watched Owings, the runner at third, to make sure he didn’t try to take home.

Suarez threw the ball to second, just in time to get the runner.

Owings took off.

Seeing this, Reds second baseman Scooter Gannett threw the ball home instead of holding it or attempting to double up Ahmed at first.

The ball got away from the catcher. Owings scored and Ahmed advanced to second.

At the end of the fourth, the D-backs led 6-1.

Though the Reds cut the deficit to 6-5, the D-backs kept pounding the ball and won 12-5.

“That’s what good teams do,” Ahmed said. “They don’t settle for early runs, they continue to battle.”

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