Weaver takes no-hitter into 7th, Diamondbacks top Reds 7-0
PHOENIX (AP) — Luke Weaver retired the first 17 batters he faced, Eduardo Escobar homered for the fourth straight game and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-0 on Sunday.
The 27-year-old Weaver (1-0) took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before giving up a broken-bat single to Eugenio Suárez, whose ground ball found a hole up the middle. The right-hander hit Alex Blandino with a pitch with two outs in the sixth, the first of three baserunners he allowed.
Weaver — who flashed pinpoint command with a mid-90s fastball — needed just 94 pitches over seven innings to carve through Cincinnati’s red-hot lineup, throwing 63 strikes. He struck out eight. The Reds came into the game hitting .312 as a team, which was tops in the majors.
Rookie Matt Peacock pitched the final two innings to complete the two-hitter.
David Peralta hit a three-run homer in the third, his first of the season, to put the Diamondbacks ahead 4-0. Arizona threatened again in the fourth, but Christian Walker struck out with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Escobar added a 2-run shot down the right-field line in the fifth to push the D-backs ahead 6-0. His four-game homer streak is a career best.
José De León (0-1) allowed six runs over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out nine, walked three and gave up eight hits, including the two homers.
Arizona won the three-game series after losing Friday’s opener, cooling off the Reds after a 6-1 start, which was the best opening week for the franchise since 1994.
RESURGENT WEAVER
Sunday’s dominant performance was another sign that Weaver might be able to bounce back from a brutal 2020, when he led the National League with nine losses and had a 6.58 ERA.
Weaver was one of the D-backs’ best pitchers in 2019 with a 2.94 ERA through 12 starts before injuries cut his season short. He is in his sixth big league season but won’t become a free agent until 2024.
ON-BASE MACHINE
Arizona’s Josh VanMeter reached base in all five of his plate appearances. He had a single, a double and three walks. VanMeter played 1 1/2 seasons for the Reds, who traded him to the D-backs last year.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds: OF Jesse Winker was out of the starting lineup for a second day in a row after dealing with calf cramps in Friday’s win. He came into the game as a pinch-hitter in the ninth.
Diamondbacks: OF Kole Calhoun got the day off. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said the team is trying to make sure Calhoun doesn’t overwork his surgically repaired right knee. Calhoun started the first two games of the series.
UP NEXT
The Reds head to San Francisco for a three-game series, with Wade Miley (1-0, 0.00 ERA) starting the opener against the Giants’ Aaron Sanchez (0-0, 1.80).
The Diamondbacks send LHP Madison Bumgarner to the mound against Oakland. The four-time All-Star has had a tough start to the season with an 0-1 record and an 11.00 ERA. RHP Chris Bassitt (0-2, 5.56) starts for the Athletics.
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