Inconsistency in the offense continues to haunt the Diamondbacks, as they recorded only five hits in their 4-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday. Arizona’s losing streak has now increased to three games, and they have fallen back into third place in the NL West.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!After the Reds loaded the bases in the first inning with no outs, rookie starter Brandon Pfaadt managed to find his way out of the jam with no damage done. Pfaadt would go on to retire 16 consecutive batters and seemed to be on track to have a career-best start.
However, with the Diamondbacks holding a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth, fatigue struck Pfaadt, and the Reds’ offense finally broke through on the scoreboard. Three straight solo home runs later, Cincinnati grabbed a 3-1 lead in just a matter of minutes.
While Pfaadt only allowed four hits in his six innings on the mound, the three solo shots tainted his excellent start.
Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks offense could never get anything going at all. Reds starter Brandon Williamson held Arizona hitless through the first five innings and would exit with just one earned run allowed through six innings.
The offensive struggles have become a major concern for Arizona. Christian Walker, in particular, has fallen into a slump over the past week. Since July 14th, Walker is 6/27, and over the past three games, the slugger is 1/14 with seven strikeouts.
Corbin Carroll, despite a solo home run in the ninth, has also seen his numbers fall in July. His once-.300 batting average has taken a dive to .281 as the rookie has caught the strikeout bug this month.
The Diamondbacks will wrap up their series against the Reds tomorrow morning at 10:40 AM.Â
