TODAY’S GAME
Diamondbacks at Reds, 12:35 p.m., MLB Network, 700, 1410
A full moon overhead, a home run reversed by review, an injury delay for an umpire, Aroldis Chapman batting for the first time ever and the Reds almost blowing an 8-0 lead — it was far from an average night at Great American Ball Park.
An easy game turned difficult and then bizarre, but it ended with the Reds beating the Diamondbacks 10-7 on Wednesday.
“That’s the epitome of a full moon,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “It felt like it. We were riding easy, 8-0. All of a sudden, it was 8-4. They didn’t quit. I don’t know if that’s what you call a good game or not. Boy, there was a lot of stuff happening.”
The Reds (72-55) again moved six games ahead of the Diamondbacks (65-60) in the race for the second wild card. The Pirates (74-52) lead the Cardinals (73-53) by one game and the Reds by 2½.
The night started with a blast by Shin-Soo Choo. He hit a leadoff home run in the first and added three more hits. He drove in three runs as the Reds built an 8-0 lead.
The Reds would have liked to have coasted from that point, but ended up barely hanging on.
Adam Eaton, the Springfield native and former Miami University product, hammered a two-run shot to right in the fifth inning to cap a four-run inning for the Diamondbacks.
Arizona added a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth. Jonathan Broxton left with elbow pain after giving up a home run and walk in the eighth.
Aroldis Chapman then made a rare eighth-inning appearance. His spot in the order was coming up, so he stayed in the game and struck out at the plate in his first big league at-bat after trying to lay down a bunt.
Baker said he was disheartened to have to take out Broxton. Pitching coach Bryan Price went out first and told Baker, “Oh, man, he’s done.” Broxton was experiencing pain in a different part of the elbow.
It appears Broxton will return to the disabled list after missing almost two months earlier this summer. Baker said they would have to call up a replacement today.
The Reds added two runs in the bottom of the eighth to give Chapman a cushion in the ninth. He closed the game out in his first two-inning stint of the season.
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