CINCINNATI — Jake Lamb hit a pair of three-run homers and Patrick Corbin pitched into the eighth inning during an emergency start on Thursday, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 12-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
Arizona stabilized itself by taking two of three in the series. The Diamondbacks had dropped eight of nine heading into the set, falling behind Colorado for the second NL wild-card spot.
Lamb homered in the first inning off Luis Castillo (1-3) and again in the ninth for a career-high six RBIs. Gregor Blanco and Ketel Marte added two-run shots as the Diamondbacks concluded a wacky series.
They won the opener 11-2 while getting outfielder J.D. Martinez in a trade with Detroit. A day later, Martinez got hit on the left hand by a pitch in his Diamondbacks debut and left with a bruise. He didn’t play in the finale.
Scheduled starter Taijuan Walker was scratched after his wife, Heather, went into labour Thursday morning. Corbin (7-9) was moved up a day and wound up with his first victory since June 16. The left-hander had gone 0-3 in his previous five starts.
Corbin gave up seven hits, including Eugenio Suarez’s homer, while going a season-high 7 1/3 innings. The left-hander pitched out of a bases-loaded, no-outs threat in the fourth to hold the lead.
Suarez homered again off J.J. Hoover in the eighth. Cincinnati fell to 1-6 since the All-Star break — all at home. The Reds allowed 10 or more runs in four of them.
DIAMONDBACKS MOVE
Walker was placed on paternity leave, and RHP Matt Koch was called up from Triple-A Reno. Manager Torey Lovullo will rearrange his weekend pitching plans with Walker gone, and he might use Koch to start one game.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Diamondbacks: Martinez was out of the lineup with the bruised hand, sustained in his second at-bat on Wednesday night. "A crazy 24 hours," he called it while headed to get treatment on Thursday morning. Lovullo is hopeful he can return over the weekend.
Reds: SS Zack Cozart got a day to rest. He missed time last month because of a strained right thigh that is not fully healed.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks: Arizona opens a three-game series Friday against visiting Washington. The Diamondbacks lost two of three at Nationals Park in May and are 3-7 against the Washington during the last two seasons.
Reds: Homer Bailey (2-3) faces Jose Urena (7-4) when the Reds open a home series Friday against Miami. Bailey makes his sixth start since returning from elbow surgery. He gave up eight runs in four-plus innings of a 14-4 loss to the Nationals last weekend.
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