Harvey does it all before Reds rally late for win

CINCINNATI -- Another night, another standout showing from a Reds starting pitcher. And thanks to an eighth-inning offensive onslaught Saturday, the Reds earned a second straight win over the D-backs, prevailing 6-3.
After the D-backs broke through against the Reds' bullpen in the top of the eighth to take a brief lead and potentially spoil Matt Harvey's splendid effort, Tucker Barnhart's pinch-hit, two-run double in the bottom of the eighth kickstarted a four-run frame, turning a one-run deficit into a three-run advantage at Great American Ball Park.
Friday night, Anthony DeSclafani blanked the D-backs over seven innings in a 3-0 Reds win. Harvey was nearly as strong, delivering seven innings of two-run ball, striking out seven and issuing just one walk among five hits. The righty exited with the game tied at 2, before David Peralta's tie-breaking solo home run off former D-backs reliever David Hernandez.
Barnhart, though, came through as a pinch-hitter, plating Eugenio Suárez and Curt Casali with a double off Archie Bradley. Billy Hamilton and Joey Votto followed with RBI singles off T.J. McFarland.

"He's a damn good pitcher. I got him tonight," Barnhart said of Bradley, who entered with 54 strikeouts in 54 innings. "I'm sure he's going to get me 20 more times, for sure."
• Votto dealing with right leg soreness
Harvey's seven innings pitched were his longest outing as a Red since joining the club on May 8, and it was his first time pitching seven innings since April 21, 2017, with the Mets. Harvey, a candidate to be moved before the Aug. 31 waiver deadline, had struggled in his previous three starts, surrendering 15 earned runs and 23 hits over his last 12 2/3 innings pitched.
"Last thing you want to do is go out in the seventh and not do your job," Harvey said. "To get that done, that was huge."

Harvey evaded potential damage in the first inning after rain caused a 40-minute delay to the proceedings. The righty retired the first two batters, the latter on a leaping catch into the left-center-field wall by Hamilton, before yielding a single to A.J. Pollock and a walk to Eduardo Escobar. However, Harvey struck out Steven Souza Jr. looking to quell the threat, the first of seven straight D-backs retired by Harvey.

"The deeper [Harvey] went into the game, the better he got. We've seen him do that quite often," Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman said.
The D-backs did strike first, however, with Escobar's first home run with Arizona also plating Pollock in the top of the fourth. The Reds leveled the score in the bottom of the frame, though. Phillip Ervin's RBI double scored Suarez from first before Harvey's two-out single to shallow right field scored Ervin. It was Harvey's first hit with the Reds in 35 plate appearances.

After Peralta's home run, Hernandez and Amir Garrett escaped further damage in the eighth before Raisel Iglesias pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 23rd save.

MOMENT THAT MATTERED
Barnhart's well-timed bash: Barnhart, the Reds' regular catcher, had the night off before Riggleman summoned him to face Bradley with runners at first and second with two outs and the Reds trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth. Barnhart worked a full count before lining a 96-mph fastball -- the seventh pitch he saw -- into the left-center-field gap for the go-ahead double.

SOUND SMART
Harvey's game-tying base hit in the fourth inning was not only his first hit as a Red, it was the first hit by a Reds pitcher other than DeSclafani since Tyler Mahle's bunt single on June 30.

YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
Hamilton showed no ill effects from the rain delay prior to first pitch, chasing down a potential extra-base hit from Paul Goldschmidt at the wall in left-center for the second out of the game.

HE SAID IT
"I'm sure the numbers indicated it was the right thing to do. I know I've done similar things. That's a first-place club out there." -- Riggleman, on the D-backs intentionally walking José Peraza to face Votto in the eighth inning

UP NEXT
Reds right-hander Luis Castillo has been excellent of late, allowing two runs or fewer in each of his last four starts (22 2/3 innings) while striking out 19 and walking just four batters. Castillo makes his 24th start of the season in the Reds' series finale against the D-backs on Sunday (1:10 p.m. ET first pitch). Arizona counters with righty Zack Godley.